From the Beginning
by scrappy12
Summary: What if the beginning,the love story was supposed to be between Dan and Blair? What happens when two completely different world collides? this story is a remake of season one with a DAIR twist on it.
1. Chapter 1

**From The Beginning**

**Author's Note: I had been watching a lot of you tube videos about Dan/Blair and throughout the comments I had seen some people had always thought in the first season that the writers were going to do Dan/Blair and although in the first season I was Dan/Serena, I thought that was interesting because both of those characters embody the two different worlds colliding sort of deal. Part of the reason I stopped watching Gossip Girl was because I felt it was going too much for the OMG factor and not telling the genuine hardships of dating someone who is basically in a different social class than you, morally inept when it comes to certain things, and just the struggles of loving someone that has grown up in a different world. I was never a fan of Chuck/Blair together but I loved them separately so I'm sorry if this story trashes the memories you loved about them. So this idea strictly came from comments I've read on you tube, and me just wanting to try something different. I won't change the episode title, so you'll pretty much know what the title of the next chapter will be, but it will just have a different take with or without a few things that actually did happen in the episode. Also, I will include the summary of the original episode, just in case you forgot and need a bit of refresher, that way you can see how its been remade. This story is catered towards Dan/Blair and will feature them heavily with a little bit of a secondary couples. So I hope you enjoy, and please on top of a thousand pleases let me know what you think because that really does help. Enjoy :)**

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><p><em><em>**"Pilot"**

_**Pilot Summary: Serena van Der Woodsen has returned to Manhattan after a mysterious and self-imposed exile. Neither the cause of her departure nor the reason for her return is widely known. Serena's best friend, Blair Waldorf, has conflicted feelings about her friend's return since she has enjoyed being the Queen Bee during Serena's absence and might not be ready to relinquish her new position on the social ladder, not to mention the fact that she has always suspected there may be unspoken feelings between Serena and her longtime boyfriend, Nathaniel 'Nate' Archibald. Social circle outsiders and siblings, Daniel 'Dan' Humphrey and Jennifer 'Jenny' Humphrey move in with their dad, Rufus in Manhattan when they come back from visiting their mom in Hudson. Dan has a longtime crush on Serena and his wishes are answered when he scores a date with her and decides to take her to his dad's band- Lincoln Hawk concert while Jenny works for Blair to get an invitation to the long awaited Kiss On the Lips party.**_

Standing across from his destiny or more like his chosen job, Dan Humphrey looked on at his scripted directions to the said destination and back at the said destination. So this is how the other half lives? He asked himself as he just couldn't believe that she owned this whole building. The last name still threw him for a loop though, he had heard many tales about the Waldorf family more in particular when it came to Blair Waldorf, who was the quote on quote Queen Bee of the Upper East Side. That was never his crowd due to geographical reasons and the pure fact that it wasn't his cup of tea. Once again his eyes drifted back to the sheet of paper as he truly questioned if this was the right thing, was this the only job that he could get to help his dad out….was this the route he had to take. Crumpling up the piece of paper into a tiny wad, he found himself going back and forth in his head just trying to really think if this was his only option. He began to imagine himself coming home with a big fat check along with the juiciest steaks that New York had while his dad and sister relished in the possibility of having the finest. Opening up the piece of paper once again, he knew he'd hate himself for it but he was slowly began to lead to one side even more so with all this thought. Beginning to make his way across the street, Dan was quickly caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Nate Archibald. Dressed as if he just came from a party at Sean Combs house, Dan couldn't help but think that these people always dress like their going to a party even when they're crossing the street. Ending a phone call that he seemed to be all smiles about, Nate joined Dan at the cross light just looking on at the dark haired boy with much delight even more so when he saw the crumpled up application along with directions.

"You going in the same direction?" Nate asked as he extended his hand out to hit the crosswalk sign

"If by that you mean going to the Waldorf building….yes" Dan replied reluctantly

"Oh, that's right. Eleanor is hiring again" Nate smiled

"Again? Does she do this often?" Dan nervously replied

"She tends to give seasonal work, that's what we like to call it, but the truth is that the new hire doesn't make it in that house too long. Some have said that's its like entering into the lions den" Nate said as the light turned red and the signal came up for them to cross the street safely

"Thank you for your words of encouragement. I'm officially freaked out now" Dan laughed to himself "Why is it called the lions den?" he asked

"For reasons I can't explain" Nate smiled as he looked on at him in a way that said to tell you would be nothing as opposed to you finding out for yourself type of smile "My name is Nate, by the way" he introduced himself

"Dan. Dan Humphrey" Dan replied as they quickly came upon the building "We go to the same school" he then mentioned

"Oh, yeah" Nate smiled as if he were posing for an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial with his playboy like smile "School is not really my thing, its more of to appease the parents…so I'm not quite aware of who goes there yet" he replied honestly

"It's okay. I'm not quite aware either, but its just that….I'm rambling, I'm sorry. I've clearly let this whole lions den quote get to me, and now I'm rambling and coming off like a school girl" Dan said as they entered the building before Nate casually made his way over to the security desk leaving Dan behind to scramble to find his interview confirmation number so he'd get access to go upstairs to the penthouse floor.

"Yeah, that's all I owe you on the Dartmouth game. Next week though, I'm taking USC" Nate laughed with security guards as he handed out money like it were mere sheets of paper "Thanks, and don't worry about him" he said looking over at a frazzled Dan "He's with me" he said as he slowly backed away to make his way over to the elevator before signaling for Dan to come over towards him

"Thanks for that back there" Dan said as they stepped onto the elevator. Playing with his fingers nervously, Dan did his best to calm himself down but all he could hear was the words lions den going through his head. What was he getting himself into?

"No problem" Nate smiled "Dan. From school" he teased

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><p>Sitting on her stool chair as she did her usual routine of glamming herself up in front of the mirror, the young woman listened on to the soundtrack of the day that consisted of her mother constant berating of the latest shipment of designs. Being the daughter of Eleanor Waldorf let alone a designer in general was a daunting task that had the pressure of always being fashion forward. Getting up from her seat in front of the mirror after applying her lip gloss, she stepped back to look over her appearance once more as she wanted to look perfect for Nate. Hearing her mother's rants coming closer by the minute, Blair swiftly tried to spring perfection to her very body in hopes that she wouldn't be next on her mothers belittling list for the day. Entering the room, Eleanor looked on at her daughter as she halfway listened to the cries of her associates coming from the end of the phone. Ending the phone call due to her instant boredom, Eleanor walked over towards the mirror and quickly took a seat on the stool. Unsure of what to do when it came to her mother's surprising action, half of Blair wanted to tell her mother not to put anything out of place because she liked her stuff to be neat unlike her mother.<p>

"What's wrong with you?" Blair asked as if she were obligated to after the moment of silence between them

"Gee, thank you for your concern" Eleanor replied as she turned to look at her daughter "That isn't becoming of you, that shade is all wrong and the fit isn't exactly showing off your body in the best light" she soon critiqued as Blair felt a moment insecurity come upon her even more so due to her mother sharp as knives insults

"I like the dress" Blair simply replied unzipping the dress from behind

"The dress doesn't like you though" Eleanor replied before turning back to the mirror to adjust her mirror "Will you be leaving for the day?" she then asked

"Darota! I need you now!" Blair called out like a child with a temper tantrum "I have plans with Nate. Why?" she asked

"Because it'd be best if you weren't home. I'm interviewing for house assistant" Eleanor said

"House assistant? Really mother, are we just inventing jobs now" Blair said as Darota scurried into the room, wasting no time in helping Blair out of her dress.

"It's called keeping the house in line, and since I have my line coming out…it'll pull me away from doing the necessary tasks that need to be done around here" Eleanor replied

"I can do the necessary tasks, better yet, you could scale back at work and do the necessary tasks" Blair replied as she stepped out of the dress while Darota neatly put it away

"And I'd do that because?…" Eleanor asked hoping that a hint of delusion hadn't come over her daughter

"Never mind. I'm sure this one won't last, they never do" Blair replied

"Due to your antics, but I will not tolerate your behavior on this one. I have a lot on my plate and I need you to be on board" Eleanor said

"You've always got something on your plate mother, my behavior might be a little better if your plate carved out a portion for me" Blair said

"And in time it will, but fashion week is coming upon on me as we speak and I can't domesticate myself just for the heck of it" Eleanor said as she got up from the stool "Darota is on board with it" she then mentioned as Blair turned to glare at Darota as if she were betrayed by her trustee housekeeper

"Ms. Blair, it might not be as bad as you think" Darota replied as they heard the elevator doors open

"Darota, I'll need my clipboard with the information on the applicants. Also give me an up to date schedule of appointments this week and the following week" Eleanor instructed as Blair slipped on yet another dress before storming out of the room to meet the so called help while Eleanor and Darota followed behind. As she descended the staircase she saw a better image of her boyfriend and the scruffy looking boy beside him

"Who is this?" Blair asked so coldly as stopped at the final step

"Blair Waldorf, the highlight of my day" Dan said sarcastically to himself after Nate made his way over to greet Blair

"This is Dan" Nate introduced to both Blair and Eleanor

"I know who he is" Blair replied coldly as she examined Dan not letting her icy stare melt not one bit causing Dan to feel more uncomfortable by the minute before Blair turned to her mother "You can't be serious? I go to school with him" she stated

"So you attend St. Jude's, that's interesting to hear" Eleanor played off her daughter's rudeness as she made her way over towards Dan to shake his hand

"As in he's the same age as I am. You can't possibly think he can handle a job like this, do you?" Blair chimed back in which only made Eleanor contort her face in manner that Nate detected and knew it was time for him to jump in and get Blair out of the way and out of the house

"We should be going" Nate suggested to Blair "They'll be expecting us" he said as he grabbed Blair's hand while Blair continued to glare at her mother, letting it be known that she didn't approve of this hire let alone hiring yet another staff member to parade around the house. Taking a sigh of frustration, she reluctantly went along with Nate's suggestion as they made they're way over to the elevator doors

"I'm so sorry about that. Please, Daniel take a seat over in the sitting area" Eleanor said as Darota lead him over to the sitting area

"There's a sitting area, you have names for everything" Dan said to himself before taking a seat on the overpriced antique sofas finding it a bit hard to get comfortable on such stiff seating while Eleanor over looked the paperwork that was on her clip board

"It says here you do attend St. Jude's, how'd that come to be?" Eleanor asked as if she were truly surprised that he actually attended the school

"I'm on scholarship, both my sister and I" Dan replied

"And your goals?" Eleanor asked

"I want to become a journalist. I hope to attend Yale University in the coming years" Dan replied

"Yale, you have such big aspirations" Eleanor smiled "And what do your parents do Daniel?" she then asked as Darota handed her another set of paperwork

"My dad is a musician, and he owns a gallery. My mom is an artist" Dan answered

"A gallery, where?" Eleanor asked

"It's a couple blocks away from our loft in Brooklyn" Dan replied

"Interesting" Eleanor replied as Dan was soon discovering that the word interesting was becoming more and more of a dagger to him the more he heard it "So you do know what this job entails, right?" she asked

"The jist of it" Dan replied

"Well, I consider it like this…I'm a businesswoman with a lot on her plate. I own two companies that are important to me and one is this house. I trust people to run and overlook the functioning of my business, and that's what your job would be here. I need you to make this house function" Eleanor told him "If we have dinner parties, then you make sure you cover all ends from security passes to catering…everything that would go into managing a party is your responsibility. Supplies, incoming and outgoing packaging, appointments for either myself or my daughter…you manage the house" she told him

"Okay" Dan shook his head as he comprehended what she expected of him "I'm very capable of doing that for you Ms. Waldorf" he told her

"I'm sure as well, which is why I'm going to take a chance on you and give you the job" Eleanor said as she got up from her seat

"Thank you, thank you so much" Dan praised her just as her cell phone began to beep and she looked on at the cell phone to see what it was

"I have to get to a meeting, so Darota will give you the rest of the tour of the house as well as other information you may need" Eleanor said "It was nice to meet you Daniel, and I look forward to seeing your work" she said before she made her way over to the elevators to leave. Darota and Dan looked on at the woman as she boarded the elevator and then descended down.

"Come Mr. Humphrey, I will show you around" Darota said as he followed behind her until his cell phone went off with an update from the blogger sensation, Gossip Girl. Pulling his cell phone out he opened up the phone to read the latest and found himself in complete and utter shock to see the message posted that he was sure was going viral at this very moment to everyone in Upper East Side as the once slated Queen had now returned.

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><p><strong><em>Gossip Girl: Hey Upper East Siders, Gossip Girl here... and I have the biggest news ever. One of my many sources, Melanie91, sends us this: Spotted at Grand Central, bags in hand: Serena van der Woodsen. Was it only a year ago our It-Girl mysteriously disappeared for quote 'boarding school'? And just as suddenly she's back. Don't believe me? See for yourselves: Lucky for us, Melanie91 sent proof. Thanks for the photo, Mel!<em>**

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><p>Looking on at the actual image of her estranged best friend, Serena van der Woodsen, as was everyone else at the table. Blair felt her heart racing, she'd assume that it would be due to the excitement of her friends arrival but she knew better than to think that was the reason she would be in such a panic mode. Her Queen Bee status, her pedigree, and even her relationship with Nate flashed before her eyes as they were each in jeopardy of being over with the very arrival of Serena. Zoned out into her own little world, she could hear little rumblings from her friends as they too were shocked by the sudden appearance of Serena, but she knew it was all for the sake of talk that they were so ecstatic. Glancing over at Nate, who seemed to be intent on looking on at the blonde bombshell, Blair felt the immediate feeling of anger boil within her as Serena hadn't even made a real life appearance and all ready everyone was getting so worked up over her.<p>

"My God! You'll never believe what's on Gossip Girl" Katy declared at the table like she was some screaming teeny bopper

"Someone saw Serena get off a train at Grand Central Station" Isabel chimed in on the excitement as Blair focused in on Nate's cooling reaction

"Good, things were getting a little…." Chuck replied in his usual laid back manner as he looked on at Nate and Blair in utter boredom before taking a sip of his champagne "Dull around here" he sighed

"I wonder if she'll show for cocktails?" Isabel quickly questioned

"Serena never misses out on a good party" Katy smiled as she went on texting frenzy "Tonight is going to be epic" she praised

"Who are you texting?" Isabel asked

"Everyone" Katy replied "This cocktail party has become the event of the century" she said

"I hope your texting everyone, who has a delusional thought that they could just show up, to stay clear or fear utter humiliation. My mother's party will not be turned into a meet and greet…guest list still applies, no exceptions" Blair turned towards her friends to tell growing more annoyed with all things Serena

"There goes the party of the century" Isabel uttered to herself

"Care to share with the rest of us?" Blair asked ready to discipline her minion if necessary but only received a moment of silence

"I think what our dear friend meant to say was…brunch was on her" Chuck smiled devilishly as Isabel grimaced at the fact of paying

"All four hundred and eighteen dollars worth?" Isabel asked in disbelief

"Plus tip, that should be in your ballpark" Blair replied before she turned to grab Nate's hand "Can we talk?" she asked as she rose from her seat as he reluctantly got up from his to follow her off into deserted spot in the restaurant

"It's crazy that she's back, huh?" Nate asked to start off conversation between them

"Yeah, crazy and Serena go together well" Blair sighed

"But she's back. That's a good thing" Nate smiled

"I need you to stay away from her" Blair quickly stated

"What? Why?" Nate asked

"I have my reasons, but as my boyfriend…I need you to just trust me and stay away from Serena if she shows up tonight or at the Kiss on the Lips party" Blair said

"I'm going to need a reason. She's your best friend Blair" Nate said as Blair put her hand up to his cheek to begin caressing

"I love you. Nate Archibald. Always have, always will" Blair replied as if she were in trance like state that consisted nothing but him

"I love you too" Nate replied with a little uncertainty in his voice

"Good, then you'll stay away" Blair replied before she turned and walked away leaving Nate behind to look on his girlfriend in a quizzical manner. Pulling his cell phone out, Nate scrolled down his recent contacts and hit Serena's name to begin a text.

**Nate: Cn't wait 2 c u 2nght**

Nate wrote to Serena before he took a moment to think about his text. Looking over at Blair, who was now scolding Isabel and Katy, he took the chance to send the text before he quickly closed his phone to go back towards his friends.

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><p>For a first day on the job, Dan found this weekend in particular a major crash course in the life of luxury for the Upper Eastsiders. To his surprise he had to help manage and throw together a scheduled cocktail party that was all for the promotion of Eleanor. Running around the corridors of the penthouse, Dan was eager and determined to make this the event of Eleanor's dream. When Eleanor had come in from her meeting, she hadn't said much during the set up so he was just thankful that he had least made it past the set up, but he knew just by the look of her that she would expect much greater things than just a great set up. Since he really wasn't all too prepared for the event, Darota had shown him to Harold Waldorf's, Blair's father's closet, to grab a casual suit so that he would at least look a bit like the rest of the staff. Heading into the kitchen to look over the food choices that were selected by Eleanor herself, Dan went down the checklist to make sure that each guests requests were met. A moment of time was all he needed because he just couldn't wait to fill his dad in on the life of the rich and famous, oh the jokes that could be had between them when they got together<p>

"Your doing good Mr. Humphrey" Darota praised him as she walked over towards him

"Really? Your not just saying that to me?" Dan asked "Because I can take a you suck and you shouldn't even be doing this" he then said making Darota laugh

"No, your doing good. The suit even looks good on you Mr. Humphrey" Darota complimented him

"So is this a regular thing around here?" Dan asked as he looked over his list once again as the servers began taking the food out

"Very much so Mr. Humphrey…" Darota said before Dan interrupted

"You can call me Dan or Daniel" Dan told her "The Mr. Humphrey thing makes me feel like my father" he then said

"Well, Daniel. This is regular…this is routine" Darota replied

"And the whole Blair thing? I'm guessing she's the lion in the den" Dan asked

"Ms. Blair is not like that…most of the time. She has many layers, layers that no one has managed to pull back quite yet" Darota told Dan

"I wonder why" Dan replied as the final server went out

"The guests are starting to arrive, so If you have any last minute things to do, then you better take care of them now. Ms. Waldorf doesn't like for staff to be wondering about" Darota warned him as he slowly backed out

"And I will take that as my queue to do my last minute thing" Dan said before he made his way up the staircase. Looking around in search of the restroom, Dan did his best to find the restroom while he scrolled through his contact list to make a quick call to his father. Opening and closing the doors, he was becoming hopeful that the next door her came upon would be that of the restroom. In one swift motion he opened the door only to find Blair and Nate in a compromising position in her bed. Quickly closing the door behind him, Dan could hear them scurrying about in the room before Nate finally came out of the room looking disheveled.

"Humphrey!" Blair yelled as she stormed out of her room "What the hell are you doing just coming into my bedroom! Have you lost your mind!" she yelled at him as Nate buttoned up his shirt as Dan did his best to forget what he had just seen

"I'm sorry. I was looking for the restroom. It was…I'm sorry" Dan babbled until they each heard Serena's name being said from downstairs. Freezing in the moment, Blair looked over at Nate, who seemed to be thrilled, giving Blair a quick glance, Nate soon took off downstairs with Blair close behind. Slowly descending the staircase to see the girl that he had spent a lifetime admiring from a far.

Wasting no time in pulling Serena in a cautious embrace, Blair stood back for a moment looking on at her best friend and her boyfriend hold each other as if they were long lost lovers or something. Standing at the bottom of the steps, Dan looked on from both Blair and the two so called friends. Breaking away from Nate's embrace, Serena could feel all eyes on her as she slowly approached Blair.

"It's so good to see you" Blair said mustering up a smile for her friend

"It's good to see you" Serena said as leaned in to give her friend a hug

"Come, we're about to have dinner" Blair said as she broke away from her embrace

"I'll set a place for you at the table next to Blair, I'm sure you two have so much to catch up on" Eleanor said as she walked over towards the girls before Serena slowly backed away

"Yeah…that sounds good" Serena obliged as Blair grabbed her hand once again before Dan made his way over towards the doorway of the kitchen

"Daniel…" Eleanor looked to him to tell him but he quickly chimed in

"I'm on it" Dan replied before he stepped into the doorway of the "Can we have another place setting next to Blair please?" he asked as the servers immediately came out with the plate and utensils in hand as they went to set the table in the dining area. For a moment, Serena gave a lingering look at Dan as if she were trying to recognize him from somewhere at that point.

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><p>Dinner had ran smoothly for everyone as the whispers slowly came to a halt once Blair had made it clear that for now things were good with Serena. As of now Blair still remained the Queen Bee, so when it came to her laying down the law it was pretty much final amongst all and her minions. On occasion Katy and Isabel would text a few tid bits of information to their social following but not much of anything negative was being said. As the guests began to filter out, Blair grew tired of wondering what was going on in Nate's head so when he offered to stay behind, she urged him to go out with Chuck for the evening. It was all becoming too much, too much for her to take in one day as she feared what Serena's presence would do to her but the whole social hierarchy that she had put into place. If one thing was for sure, she had to handle the matter that was Dan Humphrey…there was no way that she could deal with him, let alone deal with Serena. A good dismissal was what she needed and if it meant coming at the expense of a poor Brooklyn boy than so be it. Immediately walking into the living area where her mother was still entertaining guests, Dan slowly made his way out of the kitchen as he finished up for the day.<p>

"I want him fired!" Blair demanded as Eleanor turned her attention towards her daughter

"Will you excuse us for a minute?" Eleanor asked as she rose from her seat to usher her guests off into another room that Darota took them to

"He's got to go" Blair said sternly to her mother once the final guest had entered into the entertainment room while Dan stood back listening in on the conversation

"Why? Why does this one have to go now Blair?" Eleanor asked becoming annoyed with her daughters rant

"He walked in on me in my room. He didn't even knock, he just walked in like he owned the damn place" Blair replied

"Maybe he was trying to find his way around, the boy just started today" Eleanor replied

"And that decision I find makes your decision making a bit sketchy mother" Blair replied "I get that you want to help the poor, but give to a charity, don't hire one" she stated as Dan found himself clenching his fist tight together

"You haven't exactly made it so easy to just hire anyone. I mean honestly, you act like a common child" Eleanor said

"Because I'm tired of hire help running amuck in a place that is my home. A home that I'd like to feel comfortable in" Blair replied

"A home that contains a roof, that I work hard to keep over your head" Eleanor said

"And I'm eternally grateful to you for that, but this is getting ridiculous….he has to go" Blair told her mother once again before Dan had finally reached his breaking point and just had to step out from within the shadows and out into the open

"I'll go" Dan said as he walked over to grab his coat causing the two women to turn in shock that he had heard them

"Daniel" Eleanor said as began to put on his coat

"See, he just lurks around like he owns the place" Blair stated before Eleanor brushed past her daughter and over towards Dan

"Look, I don't know what happened…" Eleanor said before Dan quickly interrupted

"I was looking for the restroom. I couldn't find it, so I kept opening doors….I should have knocked but I just thought everyone was downstairs. I opened the door and saw Nate and Blair on the bed together" Dan said as Blair's eyes nearly bulged out her eyes with his reveal of her actions in her room

"Doing what in your room?" Eleanor turned to ask Blair

"Privacy, you know I should be able to have that in my house, my room…but with Humphrey that's been under attack since the moment you hired him" Blair said making Dan even more annoyed

"If I could just get my pay for the day, I won't cause a scene…I'll quit" Dan told Eleanor who seemed to be in a bind

"Would you like that in quarters?" Blair asked as she reached for her purse "You know for bus purposes" she said

"No" Eleanor simply replied leaving both Dan and Blair confused

"No, to what?" Blair asked "I can give him my singles, but I hear on public transportation they prefer the coins" she said

"No, as in your not quitting" Eleanor told him as Blair stood in disbelief

"Does my opinion not matter around here?" Blair stated

"You will get used to him because I'm not firing him nor is he quitting" Eleanor said "Daniel, I hired you because you are by far well suited for this position and for your age I think you are wise beyond your years" she said

"Which only amounts to sixteen, how much wisdom do you get at that age?" Blair said sarcastically

"Darota will get you aware of the house as far as where things are and how things go tomorrow, so that will take you out of Blair's way" Eleanor said as she looked from both Blair and Dan "I expect my daughter to be on board with this decision, and I pray that she will not cause any problem because if she does…I guarantee that there will be consequences" she said

"Consequences? That's a joke if I ever heard one" Blair sneered at her mother as she walked over to the staircase "You wanna lay down the law…then be a mother and stay at home, then maybe you wouldn't have to hire so many people to tend to your responsibilities" she said before she stormed off upstairs to her room. Hearing the elevator doors open up, both Eleanor and Dan turned back a bit surprised to see Serena make her way inside. Walking cautiously over to the two, she began to wonder if she was interrupting a moment.

"Should I come back later?" Serena asked cautiously

"No, no. I think you might be the only one to calm her down" Eleanor sighed

"What happened?" Serena asked as Eleanor looked on at Dan then back at Serena

"I'm sure she'll inform you" Eleanor sighed "I have to get back to my guests, but I will be expecting you tomorrow Daniel…am I right in that assumption?" she asked

"No, I won't be here tomorrow because its my day off. I'll be here Monday, after school" Dan replied as Eleanor smiled at him before she headed into the entertainment room to join her guests leaving Daniel and Serena behind.

"So your name is Daniel?" Serena asked him

"Yes, the name is Dan Humphrey" Dan introduced himself

"My name is Serena…" Serena began to introduce herself before he cut her off

"I know, I know who you are" Dan replied

"Right, because of Gossip Girl" Serena concluded "I told her to use my best pictures, so that's our trade off on me constantly frequenting her blog" she said as Dan and her just laughed

"I should be going, it's late and I'm pretty sure Blair hates me by now" Dan siad

"I wouldn't worry too much about Blair. She's a bit much, but she's worth it" Serena smiled weakly

"Well I have quite seen that side to her, and I'm not sure its there for a Brooklyn boy like me to see in the first place" Dan told her "It was nice to meet you Serena" he said before he made his way over to the elevator

"Could you do me a favor?" Serena asked as she turned towards him

"Yeah, anything" Dan replied quickly realizing that he sounded pathetic "I mean, what?" he corrected himself

"Pick me up at eight" Serena told him "The Kiss on the Lips party is tomorrow night, and with me coming home at a late time made it nearly impossible for me to find a date. So will you please do me the honor of being my date?" she asked with a look as if she were begging him, which was surprising to him since he should have been the one begging her

"Sure, I'll go with you" Dan replied as a slight laugh came to his face "You really go out with some guy you don't know?" he then asked her as she just flashed her million dollar smile that made her the Serena van der Woodsen he had loved fo so long

"Well you can't be worse than the guys I do know" Serena smiled as she ascended the staircase with a bit of flirty smile on her face as she looked on at Dan.

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><p>Things were trying to get back to normal or at least Blair was trying to let it be, but she couldn't help but have a firm hold on her present, which made her the Queen Bee. If she had to go over what scared her the most, she feared that losing Nate may have been high on that list of what Serena intended to get back. At time she thought she was crazy, but it was the way he looked at Serena that made her question herself over and over again. Ever since they were little, Blair had always been behind Serena when it came to everything anything in their lives. She had accepted that she would always be second best to Serena van der Woodsen, but when she had left…a part of her didn't feel as overwhelmed with sadness like she had though, but she felt like it was her time to step into the role she always knew she could be. Now, sitting at breakfast with Nate, she began to wonder once again if her relationship was as strong as she thought.<p>

"Are you going to finish your food?" Nate asked

"I'm not that hungry" Blair replied "I talked to Serena last night" she then mentioned

"Oh, what did she say?" Nate asked becoming intrigued with the conversaiton

"Nothing much, we mostly caught up" Blair said as they continued to eat on in silence before she looked over at him to see that she had once again lost his interest "She asked about you though" she said deciding to take the route of lying to see where that got her with her boyfriend

"What about?" Nate asked as he put his fork down to look at her before wiping his mouth with the napkin

"Just how you were. She was concerned, is there any reason to be concerned?" Blair asked

"We're all friends. I mean its only natural that we'd be concerned about each other" Nate replied

"Yeah, but it just seems like she knew something I didn't" Blair said "Is there something you should tell me?" she asked

"Nothing that comes to mind" Nate said "Look, Blair…" he said grabbing ahold of her hand before her cell phone went off and she reached for the phone

"It's Isabel. Some girl asked her for an invite to the Kiss on the Lips" Blair scoffed at the notion that some random thought they were welcome

"I thought you had extra's made by that freshmen?" Nate asked

"You mean that Jenny girl…yeah, but I only gave those extras to a few of the Dalton girls…their fathers happen to be board members on the Yale Alumni" Blair smiled proudly

"Did you give one to Serena?" Nate asked

"No" Blair replied "S, barely came back when the invites were issued…I can't just up and have one made" she said

"Why not? She's your best friend…and its Serena for crying out loud" Nate said

"So? Nate, she had ample amount of time to confirm her appearances. I can't just make exceptions" Blair replied

"What's this really about? Because we both know you can if you wanted to, and it just sounds like you don't want to when it comes to Serena. It's like your trying to ignore her or something" Nate said

"Maybe I'm not ready to be her lackey again, Serena left and now she expects people to fall in line because she's returned…it doesn't work that way, and you shouldn't expect me to" Blair said

"Serena doesn't deserve this" Nate replied

"And neither do I. Your suppose to be my boyfriend, and yet you sound like hers. Am I missing something here?" Blair asked as she glared at Nate

"Like what?" Nate sighed as he asked her

"The truth. I want the truth, because I have this feeling like I don't have it" Blair said "So I'm asking you Nate Archibald, what is your deal with Serena?" she asked

"I'm just tired of you being hot and cold with her, that's my deal" Nate said as he got up from his seat to throw his napkin down "I'm gonna go get the check" he muttered before he walked off leaving her by herself

* * *

><p>Looking over his ties in the mirror, Dan still was in disbelief that he was actually taking Serena van der Woodsen out to the Kiss on the Lips party. He was just surprised in general that he was being near Serena let alone taking her out. His perception of Blair and Serena seemed like night and day. With Blair it was everything he hated in the Upper East side, and with Serena…it was like she was giving the Upper East side a new face, a face that seemed so welcoming and that it didn't matter your parent's income in whether you were worthy or not. As a writer, Dan had wrote stories upon stories about the beautiful blonde and how she had captured his heart the moment he laid eyes on her at a tenth birthday party. It had been an accident that he was even there in the first place, but of all the people there she was the only one that had even said a word to him, and in that moment he fell hard for her. Coming out of his room with his tie selection in hand, Dan joined his father and sister in the kitchen for their daily banter.<p>

"Guess who's dad is cool?" Rufus asked his son as he took his seat on the stool

"It's a trick question" Jenny laughed at her father

"Yeah, because it can't be ours" Dan replied as he began to play with his tie once again

"Look at this!" Rufus declared as he handed over an issue of Rolling Stones

"Top ten forgotten bands of the nineties" Dan read aloud

"And check out who's number nine" Rufus said proudly

"He is very proud" Jenny smiled

"Way to be forgotten dad" Dan laughed at his father as he closed the magazine

"Thank you, thank you very much" Rufus said as he began to bow as if he had an imaginary audience "Being forgotten on is list is how you get remembered" he then said

"Or it could just mean your forgotten" Dan teased

"Maybe he'd care if it was on Gossip Girl" Jenny teased her brother

"What? I don't read Gossip Girl….that's for chicks, and I don't…" Dan said before Jenny chimed in

"Sit up until the wee hours of the morning reading about Serena van der Woodsen" Jenny said

"Way to go dad, I mean this is a big accomplishment" Dan said turning his attention towards his father

"Where are the little cards that you were working on?" Rufus asked

"You mean the Kiss on the Lips party" Jenny said "I gave them to Blair all ready. Everyone who is anyone is going to that party" she said

"Uh, if I never hear the name Blair Waldorf again" Dan groaned

"Blair Waldorf" Jenny quickly replied "Do you not know who she is?" she asked

"She's something I don't care to call a woman, but with her its completely justified. She's like a mini dictator, who tried to get me fired. Luckily her mother likes me" Dan said

"Mini dictator" Rufus laughed to himself "Makes me think of Napoleon Bonaparte" he smiled as both Dan and Jenny looked at him confused by the reference "What? That was the only thing I picked up in high school….anyways, continue about this Blair girl" he said trying to cover on his awkward

"Blair Waldorf is essential to your imaginative future with Serena" Jenny said

"How is that?" Dan asked becoming amused with her dramatization of Blair

"Because Serena and Blair are best friends" Jenny said

"Didn't seem that way at work today. Blair seemed like her worst nightmare had come to life" Dan said

"That's right…you hob knob with the rich and famous now" Rufus laughed

"As well as deal with the many scowls of Blair Waldorf. Hell has created a job and sent its favorite demon to lurk over it" Dan joked as both Rufus and him laughed while Jenny looked like he was insulting her idol "It's a joke, Jen. Laugh. Chuckle. Do something" he said hoping his sister would lighten up

"She's really nice once you get to know her" Jenny defended

"I'm sure, after the many, many, many layers you have to peel back she is" Dan said "Besides, Blair is not my concern because I am going to have the night of my life tonight" he then said

"And why is that?" Rufus asked

"Because I'm amongst the anyone, who will be going to the Kiss on the Lips party" Dan declared as Jenny nearly fell over in shock

"How?" Jenny asked

"Serena van der Woodsen's date is how" Dan smiled "See, I'm all ready going around the whole Blair issue" he smiled as he took a bite out of his pancakes that Rufus had put out for them

* * *

><p>It had been a days worth of planning for the brunette because tonight was going to be one that she would never forget if it went according to plan. She began to think that it was all in her head, that maybe she had truly had her best friend back and that her being back would be the icing on the cake to her being the Queen. Tonight of all nights had to perfect just for her sake. On the ride over to the Kiss on the Lips, they were living it up like they were rockstars. They were the Upper Eastsiders, they did things that only people dreamed they could do at that age. Finally pulling up in front of the party, they had made their way in like they were royalty with all eyes on them. Grabbing a few drinks from the bar, they all gathered around looking on at the extravagance that was Kiss on the Lips party. Enjoying the laughter and the all around good time with her friends, Blair was quickly torn away from her happiness when she saw Serena come in with Dan Humphrey. Turning towards Nate, who motioned to walk over towards them but she quickly put her hand up to stop him. Blair found herself in a state of confusion because she swore she saw the same look she had been seeing every time he saw her face.<p>

"She brought the help, unbelievable" Blair said to herself before she turned to look over at her boyfriend who once again seemed to be in awe of Serena van der Woodsen like she was the Queen or something "Did you do this?" shethen asked

"What?" Nate asked in confusion "Blair c'mon, don't start this" he replied not wanting to get into another argument about what she suspects is going on

"Did you do this?" Blair asked ignoring his plea for peace "Did you invite Serena?" she asked

"I'm sure she knew about the party, we have it the same time each year…nothing has changed" Nate defended himself

"Something has changed because its on your face every time she comes into a room" Blair replied

"Your being paranoid" Nate replied

"Don't patronize me" Blair replied

"I'm not" Nate refuted

"Stay away from her" Blair said

"You have nothing to worry about" Nate replied

"Really? Because I never thought I had anything to worry about, but when you get that look on your face…it makes me think, are you being honest with me? About everything? About Serena?" Blair asked as Nate took a moment to think before answering

"Yes. I'm being honest" Nate replied unconvincingly

"Why don't I believe you?" Blair asked as tears welled up in her eyes as Nate couldn't think of a thing to do that would make her satisfied at this moment. Turning towards Chuck, who was flirting with a batch of newbies, she made her way over towards him. "I want some" she told him

"Some? Your going to have to be specific" Chuck replied

"You know what I'm talking about. Meet me in the back room in ten minutes" Blair told him as she brushed past Nate and made her way to the back room.

* * *

><p>He had told his father of his day climb of the social ladder, but never in a million years did he think that he would have gotten to escort Serena van der Woodsen to the Kiss on the Lips Party. Though he had practiced over and over in his mind the funny things he would say to her that would make her swoon, he found the night to be a bit of a cat and mouse chase. One moment he would he would have Serena in his midst but then she'd drift off giving the excuse that she was going to freshen up. This had gone far from his dream date, but he knew that along with the pressure of returning back to Gossip Girl territory, Serena couldn't just slip back into her old life like it was nothing. He could hear the whispers in the crowd that would speak of the prevalent rumors and even the newly created rumors that had formed about her. A piece of him felt for her because no matter what she tried to do, there was always going to be some part of her past that was going to haunt her. Heading over to the lounge area to grab his wallet from his coat pocket. Finding the door a bit jammed, Dan gave the door another budge before he opened it up to see Nate and Serena together.<p>

"Dan" Serena said as she broke away from Nate's embrace

"I should go" Dan said as he walked over to grab his coat after a moment of silence came between them all.

"Dan, you can't…you can't tell Blair" Nate said as Serena quickly hit him

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me" Dan replied sarcastically but found their actions to be repulsive

"Dan, this isn't what you think" Serena replied

"I really don't care what you have to tell me in this moment, but I think I understand why you asks guys you don't know out" Dan said "Because you use them as a cover to see your best friends boyfriend behind her back" he said as he put his coat on

"Dan, I'm sorry" Serena apologized

"Don't apologize. Just…just forget I was even here" Dan said before he left the room.

* * *

><p>Making his way through the crowd of people, Dan had finally managed to get outside. He could curse himself for actually thinking that he could fit in this world, he was a boy from Brooklyn and that's where he wanted to remain and tonight only reinforced that. Standing out waiting for a taxi to pull over, he could hear rumblings from the group of girls next to him about Blair. A bit of laughter came to his face as the Queen Bee herself wasn't even that well liked by her fellow classmates. If only they knew what she was like at home? He thought to himself, well she deserves it because you can't go around treating people like crap and expect to be liked. His jokes turned to a look of concern as the conversation the girls were carrying on turned to what she was doing in the back room. There was no reason to care, but he could hear Eleanor in his head reprimanding him for not seeing that Blair wasn't keeping herself out of trouble. Why should he have to care about Blair? He asked himself a million times, but then he realized that maybe rescuing Blair from herself would look good in Eleanor's eyes and only solidify to her that he was a good hire. Taking a deep sigh of frustration, he made his way back into the party to where she was rumored to be. Shaking his head in disbelief, he could only imagine what she was doing that was all sorts of illegal. Opening up the door to the back room, he rolled his eyes in annoyment as he just thought that this was all they did…cheat on each other, do something stupid, and cheat on each other.<p>

"Get off of her" Dan said as he grabbed Chuck and pulled him off of a passed out Blair

"What the hell is your problem!" Chuck yelled

"At this moment, it's you" Dan replied "Back away" he said as they were becoming close to throwing down

"Or what?" Chuck asked before Dan let out a laugh then pulled back to punch Chuck

"I don't like you" Dan said as he stood over Chuck's body before making his way over towards Blair to help her up while she still remain knocked out. Supporting her body up against his, he took the back way out so that no one would see the quote on quote Queen Bee in this state. Stepping out to the sidewalk carrying an unconscious Blair Waldorf seemed to have done the trick in hailing a taxi because it took no longer than two minutes before a taxi pulled over towards them. Putting her into the car first, he could only imagine what the driver was thinking as he saw how passed out she was but luckily the driver had seen enough drunken rich kids that it was almost abnormal to not see them passed out. As they drove back to her building, Dan looked out the lights of New York wondering just what exactly the cruel joke of the weekend was supposed to be for him. Trapped in a cab with a passed out Blair Waldorf. Getting played by the girl of his dreams. Working for Blair Waldorf. Oh, and the thing that made him curse at himself even more…thinking this world would fit with the world he knew.

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: Looks like B had too much, too soon that the help had to carry her home. Too bad that there's school on Monday, and you know what they say when you go home early….you always miss the good stuff, and what went down I'm sure she'd love to know about. Welcome back Upper Eastsiders, I can see this year is going to be full of surprises. So until next time. You know you love me, XOXO, Gossip Girl.<strong>

**Next Chapter: "The Wild Brunch" **

_**In the wake of the scandalous Kiss on the Lips party, Serena receives an icy cold reception from her best friend Blair, who reveals that she knows what happened between Serena and her boyfriend, Nate. Dan does all he can to keep Jenny out of the elite world, but Chuck provokes Dan. Blair finds that Jenny may be useful in getting rid of Dan. **_


	2. The Wild Brunch

**Chapter Two- The Wild Brunch**

_Episode Summary: In the wake of the scandalous Kiss on the Lips party, Serena receives an icy cold reception from her best friend Blair, who reveals that she knows Serena slept with her boyfriend, Nate, before mysteriously running off to boarding school. As if it couldn't get any chillier, Serena decides to take Dan to arch-enemy Chuck's fundraiser brunch at The Palace, where things go wild. Blair finds out that Nate has been trying to get in touch with Serena even though she told him not to and spirals furiously to reveal Serena's sexy little secret to Dan who gets upset immediately and decides to think twice before entering the "elite" world again. Chuck provokes Dan by calling Jenny a slut which causes another scene at the brunch. Jenny contacts Blair to find out whether Chuck has been floating rumors about her after the party only for Blair to find out that Jenny may be useful as a part of the inner circle. Dan finds out that Lily and Bart Bass, Chucks father, are in a secret relationship._

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: Is there really anything better than a lazy sunday? Reading the paper in bed, sipping coffee, scrambling an egg or two. Yeah, right. We Upper East Siders don't do lazy: Breakfast is brunch and it comes with champagne, a dress code and a hundred of our closest friends... and enemies. Chuck's dad Bart Bass is hosting the annual brunch for his foundation. Everyone is invited. Well, not everyone.<strong>

* * *

><p>Slowly sitting up in his bed still half asleep, Dan reaches over towards his ringing alarm clock and turns the alarm off as he reluctantly realizing that he was awake. Take a deep sigh knowing that he couldn't enjoy the lazy day he had planned for himself just before school started up, he steadily made his way out of bed and headed over towards his window to look out on the city. With the sun shining brightly on him, he turned and made his way to the restroom to start getting ready for work. He hadn't planned to ever work on Sunday, just because there was only so much of Blair Waldorf that he could handle, but last minute items had been faxed into Eleanor that was pressing for him to get out before the deadline or else. Reaching for the lights in the restroom, Dan grabbed his toothbrush before he finally got a good look at himself in the mirror realizing that he looked like he came straight out of hell just by how tired he looked, and after his night with Blair Waldorf…it truly felt like he came from the devils cage he thought to himself. Feeling a twinge of pain come from his arm, he lifted the sleeve of his shirt up to see a bruise beginning to form on his arm but he couldn't help but go back to looking at his face. Just as he began to play with his facial features wondering if he was getting wrinkles, Jenny couldn't help but laugh at her brother as she entered the restroom.<p>

"You're up early" Jenny smiled as she reached for her brush to begin combing her hair

"I'm up in general" Dan shrugged before he looked to see that his sister was dressed as if she were hitting the town "What's with all the clothes?" he asked as he put tooth paste onto his tooth brush just before he ran water over the brush to start brushing his teeth

"This is usually what you wear during the day" Jenny laughed as she answered sarcastically

"Where are you going?" Dan reiterated to his sister

"I'm going to see a friend" Jenny replied

"This early? Who is this friend?" Dan asked

"A friend" Jenny said

"You do know how this will go right? You answer in brief but short sentences, then I'll just ask another question that will try to get to the heart of what I want to know….so I think it'd be best if you just tell me and we can end all the speculation" Dan told his sister

"I'm going to see Eric" Jenny sighed as he turned to look at her with much shock on his face

"Eric? That guy you've been e-mailing?" Dan asked

"Yes" Jenny said as she began to pin her hair up

"Is this like your boyfriend?….how come I haven't met him yet?" Dan asked

"No, he's not my boyfriend….and he's not really in the position to meet people voluntarily" Jenny replied

"Okay, that makes me a bit worried. Why can't he meet people voluntarily? He's not some criminal is he?" Dan asked

"What's with the twenty questions Daniel" Jenny told her brother

"Jen, your going to see a guy that I know nothing about or know little about…I just want to know" Dan said

"Will you just trust me. There is nothing you need to worry about or secretly tell dad about. I promise you that, he is a friend, and I'm going to visit him for an hour tops" Jenny said

"I do like the time limit, that makes me feel better" Dan smiled

"But imagine the things that could be done in an hour" Jenny teased her brother

"Please, please, don't put that image in my head" Dan said clenching his eyes shut in horror at the thought of his sister even in that manner was just horrible

"How was the party? I heard it was epic due to Serena of course" Jenny asked as he just laughed to himself

"It was epic alright" Dan said thinking back on catching Serena with Nate

"Give me the details, don't hold out?" Jenny asked

"Basically a bunch of rich kids dressed up in what is the amount of rent we pay time five, drugs, alcohol, lies, and me being stuck taking Blair Waldorf home" Dan replied as Jenny just sat in admiration

"You took Blair Waldorf home, I'm officially happy for you" Jenny squealed as she hugged her brother in excitement catching him off guard

"Jen, it wasn't like what you think. I hated it" Dan said

"You make Blair out to be like she's some evil bitch or something" Jenny replied

"If the shoe fits, but lets state for the record that those were your words, not mine" Dan said

"How bad could it have been?" Jenny asked as Dan just stared at himself in the mirror before feeling another twinge of pain in his arm, which was probably a delayed reaction of Jenny pressing her body up against his arm.

_**[Flashback]**_

_**Once they pulled up in front of the building, Dan knew that his thoughts of how he was going to get her inside the house was gonna have to come into play because he knew that her petite body was just something that would fool him into thinking she was manageable. Struggling with even getting her out of the car, Dan finally managed to get Blair upright as he dragged her through the entrance and onto the elevator. Leaning her up against the wall of the elevator, Dan hit the penthouse floor button before they made they're way up just as Blair began to come to.**_

_**"What the hell are you doing here Humphrey" Blair slurred as she stand still but found her balance a bit off**_

_**"I'm asking myself the same question" Dan said to himself as he was desperately wanting to get away from Blair in hurry as he looked on the numbers.**_

_**"Where am I?" Blair asked as she began to look around the elevator "Why are we in a box?….are we at your home?" she asked as Dan just tried to hold in his anger about the statement before the elevator door opened up**_

_**"Finally" Dan said before he tried to grab a hold of Blair but she hit his hands away from her**_

_**"Don't touch me" Blair said as she kept swatting away at his hands**_

_**"I have to get you inside, your on an elevator" Dan told her as he kept trying to grab her**_

_**"That's what you say to all the girls" Blair said as she began to hit him with her purse and he did all he could to dodge her hits**_

_**"Believe me, your not a girl I'd try that on…I'd try it on a dog before I try it on you" Dan said as he noticed the elevator doors slowly beginning to close "Blair, get off!" he whispered forcefully at her before she gave him a final whack that caused him to fall to the floor**_

_**"Screw you!" Blair yelled as the elevator doors closed on her**_

_**"You've got to be kidding me" Dan said to himself as he got up from the floor**_

_**"Where am I?" Blair called out as she continued to look around the elevator once more thinking to herself that Dan has trapped her in his little box of home "Let me out!" she yelled in horror before Dan couldn't believe how dramatic she was being as he simply hit the elevator button for the doors to open to see Blair leaning up against the wall of the elevator**_

_**"See, not a home" Dan replied as she slowly began to realize that she may be a bit too drunk before she attempted to take a step but was a bit wobbly as Dan caught her before she had a chance to fall to the floor**_

_**"Let go of me!" Blair groaned as she tried to break away from his embrace by punching at him**_

_**"Ouch!" Dan said as he hunched over in pain while holding his arm "I'm trying to help you, you psychopath" he told her**_

_**"I don't need you help!" Blair stated before she attempted to walk once again but fell to the floor "Ouch" she said grimacing in pain as Dan looked over at the brunette stretched out on the floor just wondering if she had fell hard enough that a soul would magically be pounded into her**_

_**"Are you okay?" Dan asked regretfully**_

_**"If I say ouch, does that sound like an admission of feeling fine you idiot!" Blair snapped at him as she tried to get up from the floor but found it hard to do in her heels**_

_**"Glad to see you haven't lost your wit" Dan said as he walked over to help her up from the floor**_

_**"Let go of me!" Blair snapped again as she hit him once more**_

_**"Fine. Fine. I don't need this" Dan declared giving up hope that Blair was going to let him help her so he just made his way over to the elevator and hit the button for it to open**_

_**"My mother was a fool for hiring you" Blair replied as she steadily made her way up the staircase while Dan just shook his head wondering how he was going to be able to survive working for a tyrant like Blair Waldorf before he got onto the elevator.**_

_**"I'm going to lose my mind!" Dan screamed within himself as he held his hands up to his head as he hit his head up against the wall of the elevator.**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

"That bad" Jenny said in disbelief by her brother's story

"That bad, so Jen, please believe me when I say that we're better off not being a part of that group, we're perfect the way we are" Dan said as he put his tooth brush down

"There's no such thing as perfection though, especially not in Brooklyn" Jenny replied

"It can be after a day in that world. Brooklyn is heaven to me" Dan told her as he headed out of the restroom

"Then where are you going?" Jenny asked

"I choose not to answer in fear of ruining a good teaching moment, but know that my soul will not be corrupted or tricked once more…so we'll leave it at that" Dan said realizing that he was only returning to the dark side before he headed off to his room

"He's going back" Jenny said to herself

* * *

><p>Nibbling on a piece of fruit as she looked out at the window, Blair couldn't help but drown out the noise of the cleaning staff with their vacuuming and the clitter clatter of dishes going on within the kitchen as this had become her usual routine in the morning. She had always been around staff, hell it was abnormal to some less than her to even have the word staff in the regular vocabulary, but for a girl like her, an Upper East sider, parents was a noun regularly replaced with the word staff. Darota, her loyal and trusty maid, had always held a special place in her heart just because of the fact that she was the only constant in her life. She had known the young Blair all the way to her transition in to the complicated world of womanhood, so she had come to think of Darota as her family, the constant family that wouldn't leave. Doing her dusting around the living room, Darota looked back at Blair to notice that she had hardly touched anything on her plate as her mind was clearly elsewhere.<p>

"Ms. Blair, you should eat something" Darota recommended to her as she leaned over to grab a raspberry to oblige her wish

"There. I've eaten" Blair replied sarcastically

"Security mentioned that they saw you stumble in early this morning, is Ms. Blair still full of consumption?" Darota asked as Blair just scoffed at the thought that nothing remained a secret around her

"If you must know, I did have one too many but I didn't stumble in…I'm a lady, I would never do such a thing" Blair replied as classy as she could due to the circumstances

"Was Mr. Nate the boy that escorted you in?" Darota asked becoming interested in the events of last night

"I don't remember…I was under consumption, remember" Blair replied as he cell phone began to ring "I see my minions are up" she sighed as she answered her phone "Hello" she answered tiredly

"Can you believe that she actually showed up?" Katy asked still in her school girl crush mode of excitement

"Can you not scream in my ear, people do like to be talked to in a normal voice" Blair snapped at her minion "Now, please tell me she is not babbling about Serena?" she then asked Isabel knowing she was on the line as well

"It's all the buzz. Have you checked Gossip Girl?" Isabel asked before Blair looked over at Darota and mouthed for her to pull up Gossip Girl before Darota dropped her dusting duties and got right on task. Bringing the lap top over, Blair read the update about the wild Kiss on the Lips party

"So she's achieved her goal. Gain buzz, now why has she returned is the true question" Blair said to herself as she became less and less enthused to see her best friend all ready regaining her role as buzz worthy on Gossip Girl

"You don't sound too happy" Katy replied

"Because, she committed a social crime last night. Never crash a party, that's for the classless and…" Blair said just as Dan stepped off the elevator and made his way inside to greet Darota "And the Dan Humphrey's of the world" she said becoming annoyed with his presence as he just strolled in like he belonged, making nice with Darota as if they were now BFF's.

"That is true, party crashing is so late nineties" Isabel reiterated making Blair surprised at how they latched on to her words and made it seem like it came from the Bible by the amount of importance they put to it

"But didn't they make a movie about it, Wedding Crashers" Katy replied missing the point "It was really funny, its one of my faves" she said happily

"Katy, your voice" Blair said as she began to massage her head

"What about it?" Katy quickly replied

"It's annoying me. Lets put it on mute for two minutes" Blair told her as she put her lap top down on the coffee table "I don't want to see Serena at school, and she better not show up at brunch today" she stated

"Your really mad at Serena" Isabel stated "I hope you never get that mad at us" she then said

"Well, you'd never do what Serena did" Blair replied as Dan nervously looked on at her when she had made that statement unsure if she knew what happened last night or not.

"No, never" Isabel quickly replied "Katy, your supposed to reply" she whispered to her friend

"I'm supposed to be on mute" Katy told Isabel as Blair just shook her head at the stupidity they seemed to put on full display at times

"Bored now, I have to go" Blair said becoming tired with their banter before she hung up the phone. "Humphrey, what are you doing here? I thought it was agreed upon that I would get my rest of you on the seventh day" she asked

"That is the arrangement, so don't worry I'm not here to disturb your delecate sensebilities" Dan told her

"I try to do what I always do when it comes to you, pretend you don't exist. Then again I never had to pretend because you don't" Blair replied

"Don't you think a thank you is in order?" Dan asked her

"A thank you, I didn't see that in your contract, maybe you should take that up with Eleanor" Blair replied

"No, I think its suppose to come from you" Dan said

"You'll reach death before you get that" Blair replied

"So lets just forget the fact that I had to rescue you from a disturbing hook up with Chuck Bass, Nate's best friend. Then got brutally beaten the whole time I brought you up" Dan said as Darota looked on at Blair in shock

"It was Mr. Humphrey?" Darota asked

"Call the driver, and tell him I need to run to Marc Jacobs" Blair said quickly getting up from her seat "Then call Nate and remind him about brunch because he has a tendency to forget" she said completely ignoring the statement as Darota just looked at her "Now!" she demanded before Darota motioned to move but Dan stopped her

"I'll do it" Dan said becoming irritated with Blair's behavior just as he made his way into the kitchen

"Follow him, high and mighty might screw up the request" Blair told Darota as she headed into the kitchen. Making her way over to the elevator, she hit the button but couldn't seem to shake Dan's self righteous behavior. Like she owed him anything she thought to herself. The last thing she owed Humphrey was revenge, and maybe that'd have to be bumped up on her list of things to do for the day before the brunch. Just as the elevator doors opened, she ditched boarding and made her way inside her mother's office. Making sure to leave a crack in the door so that she could hear if he was coming, Blair began to sift through her mothers files before she finally found Dan's file. Opening up the file she couldn't help but smile as she had access to his backround information within her grasp "Let's see what you've got in your closet Humphrey" she said to her self as she leaned back in the chair beginning to read on.

Hearing a ding sound come from outside of the kitchen, Dan sighed in frustration as he could only imagine what other mundane task Blair would want done now. The average decent person would have said thank you for assisting me in my drunken stupor but he felt even more stupid to think that decency could go along with Blair in the same sentence. Heading out into the living room not wanting Darota to catch her wrath for his earlier comments, he opened himself up to be the slave for the day on top of completing the assigned task by Eleanor. Once he made his way out to see who it was, he couldn't help but laugh as his day had just got more absurd by the minute with the presence of Nate added to the mix of the day. He could instantly see that Nate was caught off guard, as he didn't know whether Dan had spilled all to Blair or was just here due to work.

"What are you doing here?" Nate asked confused

"That's two for two today" Dan said to himself "Don't worry, I didn't run to come tell Blair about Serena and you" he told Nate. Hearing Nate and Serena linked in the same sentence quickly tore Blair away from her snooping in her mother's office as she was faced to deal with whether she should continue listening or make her appearance known to force a confession out of Nate. The ideas both seemed doable but she knew if she was ever going to get answers then she would have to remain in this position.

"Look, about last night…it was just a moment" Nate replied in his defense

"Shouldn't you be having those moments with your girlfriend, not Serena" Dan quickly replied as Nate ran his hand through his hair in complete confusion

"I know, I know" Nate sighed "I tried to tell Blair, but I couldn't" he said

"So that paved the way for you to make out with Serena last night. Trying doesn't mean you completed the task" Dan said. Hearing those words nearly made Blair fall to her knees as her suspicions had been confirmed, something was going on with Nate and Serena.

"Serena and I…it was a moment, like a caught up in the fact that we haven't seen each other type of deal. I love Blair, I want to make things work with her" Nate said

"I'd believe that if I wasn't used for the cover, which makes me believe that there is more to this story" Dan said "I'm not stupid, you people may think I am but I know when I've been used. Serena van der Woodsen all of sudden asks a guy she barely knows…c'mon, sounds like a set up" he said

"You sure you don't know a thing about this world" Nate laughed

"It isn't funny" Dan replied as he folded his arms

"And I'm not trying to make it all one big joke. I just need a favor from you?" Nate asked

"More favors? You really don't get it, do you?" Dan asked in disbelief

"Look, I understand that I'm an ass and everything under the sun that makes me horrible, but I will tell her the truth…I just need time, today to be exact" Nate said

"Today?" Dan asked

"Before the brunch. In fact I even came by early to talk to Blair" Nate said

"Well she's out shopping at some Marc place or something" Dan said as Nate just laughed

"Marc Jacobs, I know where that's at" Nate laughed "So how about it? Do I have your word?" he asked

"Sure. Fine, whatever. I won't tell" Dan replied

"Thank you" Nate said before he turned to head towards the elevator

"At least I got a thank you from you" Dan said to himself as Nate got onto the elevator "Darota, we should probably hide the liquor. I foresee a rough night for Blair" he called out as he headed into the kitchen.

Leaning up against the door in total disbelief, Blair tried to hold back the tears that were coming to her. Over and over in her head she kept telling herself that she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't shed a tear over the damage that Serena has caused all in the span of her return. She was the fool, in this whole mess she had went from the Queen to the fool, even Humphrey was making her out to be the poor little victim. No, if she was going to go through this so called brunch, she wasn't going to be attacked…she was going to attack back. One by one.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gossip Girl: Looks like the tables are all set. As soon as the guests arrive, we can start dishing. We hear revelations are the appetizers, betrayal for a side, and exposure is the main course. Yum, sounds good to me.<strong>_

* * *

><p>It always surprised Jenny how down to earth Eric truly was, it was like the fact that he could buy anything at will didn't even phase him…hell his sister being home and stirring up some drama didn't phase him one bit. She originally had just thought of Eric as some regular boy, when they first started talking but it was until he revealed the tid bits about his family that she soon realized who he was. Any outsider would have lamented at the prospect of being close to a Van der Woodsen, but she knew that she couldn't use Eric like that. Recently Eric had done something that he wasn't exactly proud of that landed him the Ostroff center, he hadn't said much about it but Jenny knew that it had to be serious in order for him to be in the Ostroff center. She'd come by regularly to do school work with him that they were assigned over the summer time, but she never questioned as to what brought him here. It was just something she did to make him feel like everything was normal at least with her each day. Coming out of the center, Jenny was a bit surprised to see Blair Waldorf outside.<p>

"Blair?" Jenny questioned as Blair looked on with surprise to see Jenny there

"Jessica" Blair replied

"My name is Jenny" Jenny corrected her as Blair tried to play off like she did that on purpose "What are you doing around here?" she then asked

"I was meeting a friend" Blair lied as she soon noticed an Ostroff visitors tag that read Van der Woodsen on it that was on Jenny before Jenny quickly pulled it off of her

"I forgot to take this off" Jenny laughed at herself

"Oh, its okay. We all forget to tear of rehab clinic name tags" Blair replied

"It's not for me, I was just coming to see a friend" Jenny said

"Aren't you on that homework delivery program?" Blair asked becoming more intrigued with Jenny by the minute

"You mean taking assignments to students, the student to student care program?" Jenny asked

"I thought that's what I said" Blair stated feeling as if she was only hearing a repeat version of her previous question "Tell me, who gets the homework assignments…I mean technically since school starts up tomorrow, it would have to be to a student who wasn't previously here, right?" she asked

"Yeah, it basically goes to a student who has been absent for a certain amount of time, of course their parents have to put them on the program so they can ensure that the student is enrolled and yada yada yada" Jenny replied as Blair smiled as if she had caught on to something big

"I think it's a great that you do this. I mean not a lot people I know partake in school activities, but you, Jenny…I'm sorry, I don't know your last name" Blair said

"Humphrey" Jenny replied quickly as Blair just became overjoyed realizing that she had two for the price of one revenge

"Jenny Humphrey, why didn't I put it together in the first place. Your Dan's sister, right?" Blair asked

"Yeah, I don't really like to tag on to my brother too much because you know, I want to make friends on my own merit…if that make any sense" Jenny babbled

"It's fine. I mean your brother…he's words that I can't seem to describe in the present moment or at least to you, but a girl has to step out of the siblings shadow" Blair replied

"Yeah" Jenny smiled

"Look, if your not doing anything, I was wondering if you could come with me to the Bass Brunch today….but I don't want to mess with any plans you all ready have" Blair asked

"No, no. I'm not busy, I would love to go" Jenny said

"Great, that'll give us a chance to talk" Blair smiled and that's all she need to hook and bait the fish.

* * *

><p>His tasks were just about finished and he couldn't wait to get home to sit in front the television to watch the classic movies marathon. Working for Eleanor Waldorf was no easy task, and no task that you could put a set time in which you'd be finished so what he thought would be a quick and easy thing heading in earlier this morning ended up taking him longer than anticipated. As he was getting ready to leave for the day, he noticed Darota struggling with a few of the last minute presents that she was suppose to take to the brunch as a token from Eleanor herself to the board members of Bass Industry. It was always an amazement to him how much they all intertwined in each others world, Eleanor designing dresses for Chuck's father's board members, it seemed like stuff you'd hear off of a movie or something he thought to himself. He couldn't exactly rush out on Darota and pretend like he didn't notice her struggling so being the gentlemen he had yet to be thanked for, he helped Darota out by assisting her to the brunch at the Palace. When he had first walked in it didn't really dawn on him where he was until he saw all the lavishness that went into just a simple brunch. Putting the gift boxes down on a special table, Dan prepared to leave but had accidentally bumped into a familiar face.<p>

"Sorry…." Dan apologized before he realized who it was "Serena" he shook his head "You would be here because this is…I should go" he said before Serena stopped him

"No, I wanted to talk to you actually" Serena told him

"Me or use me to talk to Nate?" Dan asked

"I guess that's fair. Look, I never meant to use you or anything like that" Serena replied

"You invited me to a party and then I caught with someone else" Dan said being discreet knowing that this bit of information couldn't get out at least from him

"And I'm sorry about that. It was a mistake, and I would really like to make it up to you" Serena said

"Me? I'm the last person you need to worry about. I think the fact that the person you were with, is the same person that is with your so called best friend…I think she comes before me in the list of who you need to make it up to" Dan replied

"I know" Serena said "But last night, I really did want to hang out with you" she said

"I find that hard to believe since you never were around, and when you were you always had to go do something…so I find your admission of wanting to hang out with me a bit false" Dan said

"It was mistake, and I don't like Nate in that way. I was just caught up and did something very stupid, but I don't want to be that person you think I am" Serena said

"I use to think a lot about you…you know, in a good manner. After last night, I can't help but think maybe I was wrong" Dan said before his glanced up to see Jenny "What the hell" he then said to himself

"Just give me a chance to make this right" Serena said

"I…I….my sister" Dan said

"What about your sister?" Serena asked noticing his eyes were focused over at Jenny who was soon joined by Blair "Your sister and….Blair" she replied finding it a bit odd that Blair was now buddy buddy with a Humphrey of all people. Unable to take the sight of Jenny and Blair together just for the simple fact that his little sister could possibly be infected by Blair Waldorf, Dan had to figure out what the hell was going on. Making a mad dash over towards them, he could quickly see that Blair was relishing an angrier side to him.

"Humphrey, what are you doing here?" Blair asked

"Question is, what is she doing here?" Dan asked as he looked to his sister

"You never told me you had a sister. Jenny and I ran into each other, got talking and now we're here" Blair replied

"I thought you were visiting then going home?" Dan turned to ask Jenny

"I did, but like Blair said we ran into each other. Why can't I be here? You're here" Jenny said

"Because I was doing my job, now that its complete, I'm leaving" Dan said "You should leave now as well" he said

"Stop being so uptight Humphrey. It's just brunch" Blair sighed as she locked eyes on Serena

"Stay here, and don't do anything" Dan said before he pulled Blair off to the side

"Let go of me!" Blair declared as she hit Dan on the arm

"What are doing? I don't want my sister here" Dan told her

"Frankly, I don't care what you want. So get over yourself" Blair said before they both glanced over to see Chuck make his way over towards the giddy blonde "Seems like she's all ready making friends" she then laughed as she could see steam coming from Dan at the sight of Chuck and Jenny "Welcome to my world Humphrey, strap up, its going to be a bumpy ride" she said as she walked away leaving Dan to wonder what she meant by that statement

"What the hell are you up to Waldorf?" Dan asked himself as he looked on quizzically

* * *

><p>After a few moments of making nice with a few of her mother's clients, and playing up the supportive girlfriend for Nate's fathers clients, it was enough to make Blair feel detached from everything in general. Although she had gathered enough information to destroy Serena, she still felt like the true fool in this scenario was still her. Of course torturing Dan with the possibility of her ruining Jenny made her laugh a bit, but even that wasn't enough to shake the feeling she had. Looking over at Chuck trying to deflower his virgin was as sickening to the core, how desperate was he, she thought to herself. Feeling as if she needed to get away, Blair made her way upstairs to Chuck's suite for a drink. Making her way off the elevator, she felt a bit at ease to know that in a few moments she would be able to numb the pain a bit with a much desired drink as she entered into the suite and quickly poured herself a drink. Letting the sting of the drink linger a bit on her tongue, Blair gripped on tight to the glass as she just closed her eyes wishing this weren't her reality. Before she had the chance to fully succumb to her emotions in a quiet but still way, she heard her name being called out by a familiar voice. In that instant she was forced back into her hell as Serena came into the suite looking more pathetic than ever to her.<p>

"What do you want?" Blair asked coldly

"You've ignored me. I thought we should talk" Serena replied

"There really isn't anything to talk about" Blair said "I mean what's done is done, and frankly I'm over it" she told her before taking another sip of her drink

"Will you just let me explain?" Serena asked

"What is there to explain? You crossed the line. You can't spin this one" Blair yelled at her

"It was a mistake, but I never…" Serena cried before Blair cut her off knowing the cliché line that she was about to say

"Never meant to hurt you!" Blair replied angrily "Newsflash, I'm hurt" she the shouted at her

"What can I do? What can I do to make this up to you?" Serena asked

"Leave. Never come back, that would be a start" Blair sneered at her coldly "Everyone was better off without you here. Hell, your mom was actually leading a normal life until you showed up" she said

"You want me gone? That's not going to solve things" Serena replied

"You have no idea how much it would solve" Blair said "I mean things were perfect until you came roaring back into town" she said

"I'm not the same person. I've changed" Serena said

"Spare me, your still the same person crap. I've heard it so many times and it ends in the same result" Blair told her as tears welled up in her eyes "I just….I just never thought you'd betray me like that" she said to Serena, making her feel guiltier by the moment

"I never meant to, its just one thing lead to another and I was drunk….then it just happened" Serena said as a bit of confusion came to Blair in that moment

"One thing lead to another?" Blair said softly as Serena kept babbling on in between tears

"I never meant to have sex with him" Serena finally said and that was it. That was the confirmation upon confirmation that Blair heard that just made her

"You….you. You slept with him?" Blair asked in confusion as she laughed at how things just got worse by the minute "You and Nate had sex" she said just motionless

"I thought….B, I…" Serena said as Blair just put her hand up for her to just stop

"We're done" Blair breathed one last time before she quickly opened the door to see Nate about to knock

"Hey" Nate said as Blair just looked even more horrified "Blair, what's wrong?" he asked before she just ran passed him and over to the elevator

"B, wait" Serena called out as she raced after her friend but she had all ready got on the elevator

"What happened?" Nate asked as Serena hit against the elevator buttons in an effort to catch up with Blair

"She knows" Serena said

"Dan told her?" Nate asked

"I did, by mistake" Serena said before the elevator doors opened and they both got on

* * *

><p>Becoming more and more irritated by the second, Dan clenched his fist tight as he looked on at Chuck and Jenny just laughing and flirting with each other. He always knew that his sister would eventually date, and he had more than like some of the guys she had crushed on, but Chuck Bass. The guy was a creep just by appearance, he may have been draped in designer clothing from polo's to designer dress shirts but he was still a creep. Images of what Chuck attempted to do to a drunken Waldorf paraded his mind as not even small talk with people, who just wanted to inquire information about the help took his eyes away from the pair. Extending his hand to rest on her shoulder, Dan did his best to keep his cool but it was when Chuck's hand had traveled further down onto her butt is when Dan just couldn't hold it any longer. It felt as if he was nearly sprinting a mile over towards the two as he made his way over to interrupt, but he was more than ready to yank his sister out of here if need be and by how Jenny was acting…it might have come down to it.<p>

"Okay, grab your stuff. We're leaving" Dan told Jenny as he grabbed on to her arm

"Dan?" Jenny asked in disbelief

"Leave the lady alone" Chuck replied as he shoved Dan off of Jenny

"The lady is my sister!" Dan yelled at him as Chuck just smiled at the thought of corrupting the very girl that happens to be Dan Humphrey's sister

"You don't say" Chuck laughed as Dan looked on to see Katy and Isabel texting a mile a minute

"Yeah, I do and she's coming with me" Dan said before he reached for Jenny's arm but she had pulled away

"I'm not going" Jenny replied just as Blair came racing down the stairs with Serena and Nate not too far behind

"Blair, will you stop please!" Serena called after her friend

"Jenny, lets go" Dan said grabbing on to her arm

"No, Dan!" Jenny replied as Chuck once again stepped in

"Okay, your taking this whole chivalry a bit too far now. If she wants to stay then she stays" Chuck said to him as all the attention in the room turned towards the group

"Have fun with some other random chick, but the girl, my sister, is leaving right now. Jenny grab your stuff!" Dan forcefully told her before Chuck grabbed ahold of Dan by his shirt catching Blair's attention as she soon saw how things were escalating

"We have unfinished business, so do yourself a favor a leave" Chuck whispered forcefully in his ear as Dan tried to shove him off of him

"Chuck, leave him alone" Serena yelled at Chuck as she looked on at the two

"Poor devil, so little time so many sluts to fu…" Chuck managed to say before Dan pushed him off and then punched him. In one motion, that's all it took for every person in the Upper East side to know what had just gone down as he could hear the whispers explode within the room

"Jenny, grab your stuff" Dan said soft enough for Jenny to here

"You weren't happy until you had to embarrass me" Jenny shouted at him as she grabbed her things angrily before she stormed out of the room knowing that their every move was being watched as Dan and Jenny left.

"Darota, have the driver bring the car around…I'm leaving" Blair said to Darota as Serena once again tried to plead to Blair

"B, listen to me" Serena said

"I'm done. I'm done" Blair said pushing past Serena and out into the lobby of the Palace leaving both Nate and Serena behind.

Stepping outside to the sidewalk, Blair pulled out her cell phone and quickly went to her media section on the phone to begin playing back the video. The video in which showed Dan punching Chuck. She had accomplished what she set out to do, all with the help of Chuck's disgusting manner…she had accomplished her goal, but yet in the end…she was the fool.

* * *

><p>Pushing the door open in full force, Jenny stormed into the loft and into her room in a hurry as she began to throw her stuff down on the bed. Coming in a few steps behind her with no care of her being upset and throwing a temper tantrum, Dan felt a bit at ease that Jenny was out of Chuck's grasp but he began to fear the toll of his actions on his job. He knew word would travel quickly and that by the time he would wake up in the morning everything would pretty much be signed, sealed, and delivered. Letting Jenny blow off steam for a bit in her room as she grunted and groaned at his actions but he knew with time that she would cool down and then get over it. It was about ten minutes in before she had finally calmed down and was sitting on the edge of her bed by the time he went into her room. He didn't say much at first but just stood there in silence as they both tried to think calm and collectively about what they both wanted to say.<p>

"You should have told me" Dan said breaking the silence

"Your not dad, I don't have to tell you my every move" Jenny replied

"I told you this morning about what that world is like, I specifically made it clear about that world, and you just enter into woefully" Dan lectured

"Dan!" Jenny yelled at him

"Jenny!" Dan yelled right back

"What is so wrong about wanting to be a part of that world?" Jenny asked

"Because we don't belong in that world" Dan said "Believe me when I tell you that its not a bad thing to be from Brooklyn" he said

"For you" Jenny replied "I want to fit in Dan, and I don't know if you noticed or not, but fitting in with the girls at my school basically consists of designers and attending all the parties" she said

"And that's not you" Dan replied

"That's what you want me to be" Jenny replied "I'm not a kid anymore…" she said before he cut her off

"If you say you're a woman, I will projectile vomit on you" Dan said

"I want to try different things. I want to explore more than just Brooklyn" Jenny said

"So you let some jackass like Chuck Bass hit on you, that's as different as you can get there" Dan told her

"It's my life Dan!" Jenny replied

"Not until your eighteen, its not your life just yet…you just rent it until you get full ownership at age eighteen" Dan replied as he pulled his keys out

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked

"Out" Dan replied as Jenny reached over to grab her coat

"I'm going to call Chuck" Jenny said

"No, your not" Dan laughed at her

"Says who?" Jenny asked just as Rufus made his way inside of the house with groceries in hand

"Jenny. Dan. I got food. I'm in the mood to make a messy pizza" Rufus said happily as they both just looked on at their father but Dan had a bit of a wider smile knowing that Jenny's plan had been interrupted

"Yeah, after I don't think you'll be leaving any time soon" Dan laughed as he walked over to the door to leave

"Where you going?" Rufus asked

"I have to go back to work to finish up work, I'll be back in two hours" Dan said before he opened up the door and left

"I hate my life" Jenny said to herself as she just watched her brother walk out like it was nothing

* * *

><p>The light from city shined through the darkness of her room as she just lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling. In a span of three days, Serena van der Woodsen had came in a destroyed all that was perfect in her world. All that she had proud of, she had the perfect boyfriend, she had her minions, and she was Queen of it all…but now, all she wondered is what Serena would take next. It had been five minutes since she hadn't heard her phone vibrate, which all fifteen times was Nate probably wanting to tell her sorry a million and one times, and a part of her felt a little relieved to finally just be able to think, think about her next move, just think in general. A single tear drop rolled down her eye as she just thought about the day, wondering if the one success she had was really a success compared to the burned that she had received by the two people she cared for the most in this world. Sitting up in her bed, she once again looked on at the darkness in her room feeling as if this feeling would only continue, it had always been this way in the shadows of Serena. Getting up from her bed, she reached over to take a sip from her glass of water before pressing it up against her chest as the tears continued to fall. Lost in the sadness of the moment, she heard a knock at the door.<p>

"Go away" Blair said softly as she pressed her hand up to her cheek to stop the running tear drop

"We need to talk" Dan said as he leaned up against the door

"I don't want to talk to you!" Blair yelled

"Look, I don't care about your temper tantrum because your going to listen. I don't know how you know Jenny or why your all of sudden talking to her, but if it has anything to do with me…keep her out of it" Dan said

"Leave. Me. Alone!" Blair screamed as she threw her glass at the window

"Glad to see we understand each other" Dan said after a moment of silence came between them . Heading downstairs, Dan heard the elevator doors open and as he made it to the final step he saw Nate come in.

"Hey man" Nate sighed

"Not tonight" Dan replied leaving Nate confused

"I have to talk to her. If we talk then things will be fine" Nate said

"Yeah, for your sake it'll be fine, but for her sake…give her time" Dan told him "Look, I don't know what the history is between Serena and you, but be honest with her because she seems to care a lot about you and all I see, is that you don't feel the same about her" he said

"I love her…I love both of them" Nate admitted "I can't just walk away from her" he sighed

"You can, and you will" Dan said as he extended his arms out so he was grabbing the rails of the staircase so that Nate couldn't get past him

"What are you doing?" Nate asked

"I'm considering her" Dan said motioning up to Blair's room "I should have done it earlier, but I'm doing it now. So give her space" he said as Nate with much thought then turned around to leave.

* * *

><p><em><strong>There's a fire starting in my heart,<strong>_

_**Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark,**_

_**Finally, I can see you crystal clear,**_

_**Go ahead and sell me out and a I'll lay your ship bare,**_

_**See how I'll leave with every piece of you,**_

_**Don't underestimate the things that I will do,**_

Rocking back in forth in on the edge of her bed, Blair did all she could to control her emotions but she found the pain gaining power over her as the tears just seemed to fall uncontrollably as she looked on at a picture of at a time when things were or at least in her mind perfect between Nate and her. Clenching on tight to her folded arms, she had no choice but to let the tears fall as there was no point in stopping them now, clenching tighter she felt a twinge of pain come from her leg. Looking down at her leg she soon saw she had cut herself from the glass that she had thrown earlier. Tossing her head back in frustration, she ran her hand through her hair before she cautiously made her way from the bed and made her way into her restroom.

_**There's a fire starting in my heart,**_

_**Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark,**_

Laying back in her bed listening to her ipod, Jenny hummed along to her favorite songs but still found her mind wandering. Sitting up a little in her bed, she looked through the crack of her bedroom door to see her father sitting in the living room with his guitar in hand strumming away to the latest haunting melody of his. Getting up from her bed, she walked over to the door and closed it before she leaned up against the door. Looking towards her bed, she saw underneath her bed the box she had received earlier from Blair herself. Slowly making her way over to the bed, Jenny sat on the floor before she reached under the bed to pull the box out. Pulling at a tiny envelope on the box, she opened up and a smile quickly emerged to her face.

"Keep your friends close" Jenny read to herself as she slowly turned to look out at her window

_**The scars of your love remind me of us,**_

_**They keep me thinking that we almost had it all,**_

_**The scars of your love, they leave me breathless,**_

_**I can't help feeling,**_

Playing back the memory of when he first met Serena over and over in her head, Dan couldn't help but feel like a fool to think that the girl he had love from a far all this time was nothing like he dreamed her to be. Nothing about this world was what he dreamed it to be he laughed to himself. Grabbing his glass of water, he looked towards the staircase and once again slowly made his way up the staircase. Standing outside of her bedroom door, he asked himself a million times why he felt the need to stay behind, why her pain should even matter to him seeing as she clearly could care less about him. All those questions circled within his head, but yet the overall answer still remained the same with him. Slowly kneeling down, he took a sip of his water once more before he pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and on it, it read I'm sorry. He laughed to himself for a quick moment before he slid the piece of paper under the door.

"Like you'd even care" Dan said to himself before he slowly rose to his feet

_**We could have had it all,(You're gonna wish you never had met me),**_

_**Rolling in the deep,(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep),**_

_**You had my heart inside of your hand,(You're gonna wish you never had met me),**_

_**And you played it to the beat,(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep),**_

Sitting on the outer lining of the tub, Blair finished up her care on her cut as she finished it off by placing a band aid on top of it. For a moment she sat there and just took deep breaths trying to control her emotions that were some what calming down but still had the best of her. Look up at herself in the mirror she felt sympathy for the girl looking back at her. She felt like the flaws were becoming more and more evident as she continued to see herself. Looking at herself she had convinced herself into understanding why Nate might have strayed, why he might have turned to someone like Serena. The girl who had no flaws compared to the girl with all the flaws in the world, in her mind it began to make sense or at least she wanted it to at the moment. Turning to look at the toilet, she slowly sat down on the cold tile before crawling over towards the toilet. Staring down into the hole she felt as if this one time would fix it or at least improve the flaws. This one time would make her feel better, it would make her into the person she knew she was. Pulling her hair to the side, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she slowly raised her hand with one finger in erect position as she….

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: But his sister Jenny was spotted with a new dress... gifted from Blair herself. Everyone knows an Eleanor original is the uniform of B's private army. But will J be a loyal soldier? Or will she side with S's rebel forces?<strong>

_**Next Chapter: "Poison Ivy" As the Upper East Side teens from Constance Billard and St. Jude's prepare for a much-anticipated visit from the Ivy League representatives, Blair struggles with revealing a scandalous secret about Serena that may not remain a secret much longer. Dan has his heart and future set on the coveted usher position for the Dartmouth rep, only to be beat out by Nate.**_


	3. Poison Ivy

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. I have like four other fics including this one, so I'm trying to update as much as possible. I hope you enjoy this chapter as this was one of my favorite Blair episodes. In this chapter it may seem like Dan/Serena are bonding or he's coming to her rescue but its still very much Dan/Blair but I wanted to stay true to the episode but make it logical, but I promise you won't be dissappointed. Can't wait until Monday, I've read every spoiler possible so I'm just anxious to see what happens to get it over with. So I hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear your feedback on the chapter or in general about this upcoming Monday...so enjoy :)**

**Chapter Three- Poison Ivy**

_Episode Summary: As the Upper East Side teens from Constance Billard and St. Jude's prepare for a much-anticipated visit from the Ivy League representatives, Blair and Chuck uncover a scandalous secret about Serena that may not remain a secret much longer. Dan has his heart and future set on the coveted usher position for the Dartmouth rep, only to be beat out by Nate, who has no interest in the school despite pressure from his controlling father, The Captain. Meanwhile, Jenny bonds with Serena's younger brother, Eric, and Rufus must swallow his pride and ask Lily for a favor to help his son, Dan._

_**G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah**_

_**G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S**_

His alarm clock rang loudly in his ear before he finally reached over to turn it off. Half of him wanted to go back to sleep for just twenty more minutes in hopes that he would wake up more well rested. Laying his head down on the pillow for some sort of comfort that would take him through the day that would include him being around his snobby classmates, Dan just wanted to cherish the few moments he had to himself before Jenny quickly opened up his door with a tooth brush hanging out of her mouth. Slowly sitting up in the bed, he ran his hand through his hair before he finally just sucked it up and got out of bed. Steadily making his way over towards his closet, he opened up the door to see that he really had no selections for the day because St. Jude's was as uniform as it could get. Looking on at his navy blue suit uniform, he reluctantly reached out to grab his suit.

_**We flyin' first class up in the sky**_

_**Poppin' champagne, livin' the life**_

_**In the fast lane and I won't change**_

_**By the glamorous, ooh, the flossy, flossy**_

The kitchen began to bustle with activity as each person inside set out to do certain tasks for the morning rush as it was come to be known as in the Waldorf house. Freshly squeezed orange juice was put into the pitchers that would eventually end up in the finest of crystal glasses, while stove eyes were being fired up just as a skillet pan was placed over the eye with pancake batter filling the center, eggs cracked open into a bowl that was lightly beaten to create the fluffiness that was to be expected, light brown sausage links and bacon sizzled on non stick skillets creating the aroma throughout the house, flowers were picked to placed in vases as the scent of freshness had to come from every ounce of everything that was brought into the penthouse. Bringing over the trays for the women of the house, Darota overlooked the portions that were placed on each plate, and all that seemed like a remedial task, it was everything.

_**The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous**_

_**By the glamorous, ooh, the flossy, flossy**_

_**The glamorous, the glamorous, glamorous**_

_**By the glamorous, ooh the flossy, flossy**_

Finally reaching the level of perfection that was necessary for the Queen Bee status, topping off the product she had become of perfection, she reached over to grab her headband. Slow with anticipation, she brought the headband to her head before slowly putting it on. Fixing up her hair a bit she gave herself the final look over as she was now ready to show the public the style that she possessed. Stepping out of her restroom she was greeted by Darota with her Chanel bag fully loaded with the necessary primping requirements, along with her blackberry filled with the necessary contact list that would get her the much needed information. Reaching in her purse, she grabbed her lip gloss and applied before she made her way over to the door.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Gossip Girl: There's plenty of upside to being the spawn of the fabulously wealthy, but the downside, super successful parents expect nothing less from their offspring and when it comes to college that means the Ivy's. It's more than just getting into college, it's setting a course for the rest of your life and for those few who aren't legacies, the pressures are no less. When parents have sacrificed for their children's future, what kid would want to let them down?<em>**

* * *

><p>Sitting at the table, she sat with her plate in front of her just texting away while the staff looked on to see if the meal was to her delight. Standing with their hands folded behind their back, Blair just sat there not caring as to who or what they desired to hear from her about their services. Putting her phone down on the table, she looked on at all eyes fixated on her just feeling as if she was more than pressured to eat her food. To oblige the staff she took a single bite of her eggs before she put her fork down then walked away from the table. As she walked down the hallway she heard a bit of grumblings come from within the dining area. Hearing the sound of the fax machine going off, a slight but irritated smile came to her face as she slowly opened the door to her mother's office to see her going through her paperwork. Her mother hadn't torn her attention away from her set out task, which allowed her the time to get comfortable in the seat in front of her mother's desk that way she could show that she was purely about business and well being as opposed to personal vendetta's. Glancing up, Eleanor was a bit surprised to see that her daughter was in her office and not off at school.<p>

"I thought you'd be off to school by now" Eleanor said as she continued to look for her paperwork

"I have ten minutes to spare before the driver comes. I'm actually glad that you've…misplaced something because it'll give us the opportunity to talk" Blair replied

"By talk you mean you complaining" Eleanor said

"If you want to put it that way, I call it an update on staff relations" Blair said as Eleanor leaned back in her chair letting out a sigh

"Do you ever think of making nice with the people that cook for you, steam your clothes…" Eleanor began to list before Blair interrupted

"All stuff that they're paid to do. Mother, we can't just let the staff run amuck" Blair said "Haven't you heard of Julius Cesar?" she asked

"Blair, get on with it. I have back to back meetings today, then I have to fly out to Milan tonight" Eleanor told her

"Your not going to be home tonight?" Blair asked sadly

"If you take this long then I will be, but no, I will not be back until this weekend" Eleanor replied "So get on with it? What is this staff relation you feel I need to know about?" she asked as Blair pulled up the video of Humphrey punching Chuck on her phone to show her mother

"I think this is enough evidence to show that he's not qualified. A woman of your stature doesn't need him as representation at events that we are both well known at, I mean this could have seriously effected my standings in the social circle" Blair stated as Eleanor pulled out her glasses to look on closely at the video

"What am I watching? It looks like two blots moving…one blot in particular has bright clothing that no man should ever wear" Eleanor commented as she squinted on at the images

"It's Humphrey punching Chuck" Blair declared to her mother

"Why is Daniel punching Chuck?" Eleanor asked as she continued to squint

"I don't know, call it the inner hood in him coming out for all I know. That right there is grounds for termination" Blair said

"Do you know how the fight got started?" Eleanor asked

"I don't know. All I know and clearly feel is right under these circumstances is we change all the locks, maybe even double up on security because Lord knows what is being taught in the Bronx" Blair suggested

"I'm not firing Daniel" Eleanor laughed

"Why not? What more do you need?" Blair asked in disbelief

"Does it ever occur to you that you should form a relationship with the people who work here? I mean a lot goes in to working here" Eleanor said

"Oh, spare me the charity case approach. I donate to NAACP each year, so I've more than helped the minority and I refuse to help some inner city youth bamboozle you into thinking he's some noble character" Blair replied

"I'm not firing him, so you can just give it up Blair" Eleanor sighed

"What is it with him? I mean really? Why is he all of sudden tugging at your heartstrings?" Blair asked as Eleanor took a moment to think

"He reminds me of your father" Eleanor smiled as Blair put her hand up in hopes that her mother wouldn't continue on

"Okay, please. Stop right there, if hiring Humphrey is to inspire some sort of sexual lust inside of you…then you really need to get some help" Blair replied

"This has nothing to do with sexual lust. Daniel looks as if he just needs an opportunity, and I fully intend to give that to him…maybe you should as well" Eleanor said before her cell phone began to vibrate "If you will, I have to take this…it's Tokyo" she told her daughter before Blair caught the hint that her presence was no longer necessary any more

* * *

><p>Looking down at his class sheet as he came out of his second period, Dan began to rack his brain on where his next class would be with Professor Harmen for Political Science. Running his hand through his hair, he just retired the thought to be something he would deal with after brunch. Making his way over towards his locker, he quickly pulled his books out to put in his locker for the next days class as he attempted to lighten his load for travel at night after work. Still feeling a bit tired after he stayed up all night typing up his research paper that was due for his Advanced Placement classes, he was more than ready to hurry and get this day over with. Leaning his head into the locker finding the darkness within the locker a bit comforting with his sleep deprivation, he was soon torn away from his peaceful rest by the sound of someone clearing their throat. At first he didn't make much of it, but when he heard someone press up against the locker beside him along with the biting of an apple sound, that was enough for him to realize that maybe this person was trying to talk to him or wanted his attention. Closing the locker, Dan was a bit surprised to see the smug look on Carter Baizen face. Fanning away the spreading aroma of smoke that came from a cigarette that he held in his hand, Dan found his locker mate a bit odd.<p>

"You do know your not suppose to smoke on school grounds, right?" Dan asked as he continued to fan away the smoke

"You can when your parents donate thousands of dollars to the school. It's public domain" Carter declared as Dan looked around in hopes that no one saw him with the cigarette

"Public domain is on the sidewalk, this school is private" Dan replied

"Are you always so straight laced?" Carter asked with a slight grin on his face before taking another drag from his cigarette "I mean you smell of…" he said as he began to sniff Dan causing Dan to feel a uncomfortable "A conscience. Oh, my God! This school has a conscience walking among them" he laughed with crazed abandonment

"Okay, and on that note I will be leaving" Dan said as he closed his locker and began to walk away but Carter only followed behind until he caught up with him

"The name is Carter. Carter Baizen" Carter introduced himself as he held his hand out for Dan to shake

"Nice to meet you, I guess" Dan shrugged "Look is there any way that we could separate, I would kind of like to fit in at this school" he said

"Don't fit in, be abstract from that. Fitting in will morph you into one of them, and you strike me as a person that isn't the least bit interested in being like them" Carter said as he pointed on at their classmates

"I guess you'd be right" Dan said before he took a seat at one of the tables

"I know I'm right" Carter smiled "But I have come to rescue you from this hell hole that is the Upper East side" he said

"I'm perfectly fine by myself" Dan said

"Daniel, your in denial" Carter laughed

"How do you know my name?" Dan asked in confusion just as Serena made her way over towards him and Carter with books in hand as she took a seat at their table

"Hey, Dan" Serena smiled "Carter" she then greeted with a smile

"Serena van der Woodsen, that's how I know you. We shall talk later" Carter said patting him on his shoulder before he got up

"I rather we don't" Dan sighed

"Remember, I'm your guide. You'll thank me later" Carter said before leaving the two

"How have you been?" Serena asked

"Uh, busy. I have been busy" Dan replied "You?" he then asked

"I have been surviving, if that's event the word for it" Serena replied to his question with a bit of sadness "Blair won't take my phone calls or answer my texts hence leading me to the conclusion that she is still upset with me" she said

"Can you blame her, you kissed her boyfriend" Dan replied as Serena found it a bit interesting that he hadn't heard the full story yet

"Yeah, I kissed Nate" Serena replied strangely "But I guess I could add busy to the list with everything with my brother" she said

"What about your brother?" Dan asked "I didn't even know you had a brother" he said

"A little brother, to be exact" Serena smiled "He's…he's in rehab. The Ostroff center" she replied nervously

"Oh, I'm sorry" Dan apologized

"No, need. Every family has their issues, but with the added tension with Blair…it doesn't help" Serena sighed "Has she mentioned anything to you?" she asked

"Me. Blair. Talking. Yeah, I think that's something that doesn't happen due to the laws of nature and if it were up to her, social standards to live by" Dan replied

"You work for her though?" Serena asked

"I work for Eleanor, not Blair" Dan corrected "So whatever progress she is making back to your estranged friendship, I would know nothing about" he then said as he looked over across the court yard to see Blair with her minions grading the incoming class of freshmen. Rolling his eyes at her need to exact her power on those, who are just terrified if they can't find their class much less not possessing the latest bag from Marc Jacobs.

"And us? What progress are we making?" Serena asked before the school carrier came over to him with a pink note in hand to give to Dan "What is that?" she asked as Dan read the note

"The headmistress wants to see me" Dan replied a little confused as he looked on at the note

* * *

><p>It was all ready the first day and she was being called in by the headmistress, could this be that she was finally acknowledging the twenty letters of her college application she had sent over the summer. No, if there was going to be anyone in charge of her fate for Yale, Blair was determined for it to be up to her and not some headmistress with a salary that could barely afford a lobster with the steak at the finest of restaurants New York had to offer. Though she did feel a bit thankful that she had been pulled away from freshmen intake, which was basically the judging of the crop to see who could even make it on to the waiting list of the waiting list to be one of the girls of the steps. Each day, Blair and her minions had lunch on the steps of the Met as some sort preservation of the great beauties, the Met created masterpiece after masterpiece…so it was no shock that Blair felt the need to be surrounded by such creative genius by the many that graced the halls of the met, which is why it was no easy task to be one of those girls. This required rigorous tutelage from her and whatever thought her minions could muster up. Approaching the headmistress's office, Blair began to fix herself up before she entered the office to find that she was all ready expected. Lead to her office by the secretary, Blair forced the biggest of smiles on to her face before it quickly faded once she saw Humphrey sitting in a chair in front of the Headmistresses desk.<p>

"What are you doing here?" Blair turned to ask him

"Hello to you to Waldorf" Dan said forcing a smile as he didn't like the idea of being in the same room as her as much as she didn't

"Blair, take a seat" The Headmistress instructed her as she did as told reluctantly

"Shouldn't the headmaster be in charge of the boys, hence the term headmaster?" Blair asked

"He's out on sick leave, apparently Vegas and fallacious women can do that to you in the city of sin" The Headmistress replied

"Isn't the Headmaster your…oh, never mind" Dan said realizing that it was a sore subject to bring up seeing as the previous statement had said so much all ready

"I hardly doubt that Humphrey and I would have anything in common that would require both of our presence in here" Blair said "I mean I thought we were going to discuss my college letters to Yale. I see no need for me to be present for his questions on applying for financial aid, though I always urge my esteemed parents to always help those who are less fortunate" she said

"Do you even have a nice bone in your body?" Dan turned to ask her

"I'm stating fact. Fact, your not on the same level as me Humphrey. Fact, I find my time at this school valuable in my future endeavors" Blair said under her breath as the Headmistress just listened in on their banter

"That's not fact, that's being an egotistical maniac" Dan scoffed at her notions of what was fact "And I do happen to be smart" he said

"You heard that, right? I mean grammar mistakes after grammar mistakes….and I do happen to be smart" Blair quoted him towards the end "How was he even allowed an application for St. Jude's, I'm outraged that my tax dollars are supporting this walking fragment" she said

"Okay, I've heard enough" The Headmistress said before she took a sip of her coffee "If you two can manage to bite your tongues for a mere ten minutes, then I might be able to accomplish more than finding a divorce attorney on my list of things to do today" she said "Now as you both know, it has been a long standing tradition for us to have an Ivy Week" she told them

"A tradition I come to admire" Blair smiled

"The Constance Billard girls will be in charge of Friday's night mixer, while the St. Jude's boys will provide ushers for the Ivy representatives" The Headmistress said as Dan began to perk up

"Yes, a position in which I applied for…Dartmouth's representative to be exact" Dan replied as Blair laughed to herself

"That's a tall tale" Blair replied

"Laugh all you want, but there is reason for Mr. Humphrey to be here Ms. Waldorf" The Headmistress replied

"To be a thorn in my side is one reason. I still don't get why we're both here?…that's the part that leaves me in anticipation" Blair said

"I'm sure if you were to refrain from all that is you, you would soon find out" Dan said to himself as Blair just glared over at his direction while he played with his tie

"You two hold the highest grade point average in your respective division of schools. Blair for Constance, and Daniel for St. Jude's" The Headmistress said "Which is why we would like for you two, by the grace of God, to work together to put together the luncheon for Saturday" she said

"Work together?" Blair asked "Can't this be divided into tasks for Constance and St. Jude's?" she asked

"Yeah, I mean I'm all ready up to my eye balls on exams, work, then impressing Dartmouth" Dan chimed in

"For both of you, who are dreaming to attend an Ivy League, this luncheon is the most important focus" The Headmistress

"I'm sorry…are you encouraging me to just put all my focus on this one luncheon that I have to plan with….put together over my studies?" Dan asked

"Precisely, but its not pressure" The Headmistress smiled "Look, I have no doubt that you two will somehow work this out, as well as, tend to your studies" she said "This is something to be expected from you both. This is your dream and this is your opportunity" she then pointed out

"And the usher positions, am I automatically taken out of the running?" Dan asked

"Yes, but if this luncheon is the success I know it will be then you'll be memorable in other ways that will matter" The Headmistress said as Blair began to daydream about all the possibilities this could lead to as she'd have one more added bonus of extra curricular to put on her resume for Yale

_**[Flashback]**_

_**Descending the staircase with the biggest of smiles plastered on her face, Blair was overjoyed with happiness of thoughts of Yale. She had finished up reading the latest updates to the campus and she found the yearning thirst for knowledge was only increasing by the minute on the campus, and she someday would be a part of that great tradition that her father spoke so highly about. Joining Darota in the living room area, she sat on the sofa still in midst of a daydream while Darota just continued on with her daily tasks.**_

_**"Do you remember when Dad gave me my first Yale sweatshirt? I don't think any piece of clothing has ever fit me more perfect, not to mention how adorable I found that bulldog" Blair smiled at the not so distant memories while Darota just looked on at the brunette with concern that she may have become delusional "Remember when I asked you if I could get a bulldog? Good call by the way saying no… and now the big day is finally here. Soon Nate and I will be at college, him going down to Yale, me going up to Dartmouth. Dad flying in for the Princeton game, I hope it doesn't make you feel old watching me grow up"**_

_**"Eat up Ms. Blair" Darota encouraged her as Blair leaned forward to grab a single grape to put into her mouth to oblige Darota's wish**_

_**"Finished" Blair replied before she rose from her seat**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

A smile slowly came to her face as she began to realize that this was going to be her moment, her moment to seize the opportunity and maybe, just maybe put her life back on the path it was suppose to be on. Noticing the devilish smile that his peer wore on her face, Dan could only hope that was a sign that she would work with him. "We won't let you down" Blair told the Headmistress before she rose from her seat to give the headmistress her million dollar smile before turning to leave. Unsure as to what this meant, Dan nervously made his way out of the office to follow behind Blair into the hallway

"So are we doing this?" Dan asked her as he trailed behind her as she texted away on her cell phone, not giving him any attention "Waldorf. Waldorf. Waldorf!" he called out before she slowly turned towards him

"Will you lower your voice" Blair instructed "There is no we in this, all that is expected of you is to just smile and no, if you can do that at the same time then great but stay out of my way on this one Humphrey" she said

"Oh, no" Dan said before he ran in front of her "Your not going rogue on me, we're doing this together" he said

"Get out of my way Humphrey" Blair told him calmly

"Not until you agree that we will work on this together" Dan replied

"I'm giving you Dartmouth on a platter, just go with it" Blair replied

"I don't need you to give me anything, I've worked my butt off for this opportunity and I'm going to get it…not you. So do we have an understanding?" Dan asked her once again as she returned to texting on her phone "I do know where you live" he threatened

"If your trying to sound like a stalker, ding ding ding, you've accomplished it" Blair replied "Fine. I will allow you to prove that your not as dumb as you look" she sighed

"Thank you. I think" Dan replied unsure if that was a semi-compliment

* * *

><p>Standing amongst her minions, engaging in the latest of gossip about the freshmen intake, Blair found physical education a bit more bearable with gossip involved. Even with the task of putting on a prestigious event for Ivy Week, there was never a shortage of what she had to do to keep order in line. Laughter filled within the circle as they poked fun at the not so appealing gym attire the newbies had to wear as opposed to their gym chic looks that took them all but one day to master in their stint at Constance, but the laughter had soon died down as Serena made her way out on to the field with her field hockey stick in hand. Isabel and Katy began to whisper amongst the girls, informing them of the all ready cliché rumors that had come along with Serena by this point as Blair became irritated with even hearing Serena's 's glare quickly came upon the blonde, who did her best to play the victim, but there was no way that Blair was going to let Serena fool people into letting them think she was the one done wrong. Things were still pretty much fractured between Nate, but she had hoped with enough time for him to realize that he made a very stupid mistake that they could work things out and come back stronger than ever…sort of like Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban she thought to herself. The teacher quickly gathered the girls in the middle of the field and instructed them as to what positions they would play, and Blair began to relish the feel of a stick in her hand and the possible ways she could make Serena pay for the embarrassment she had to endure. Placing the ball in the middle of the circle, the game had just begun. Both Blair and Serena ran after the ball as Serena's quickness had allowed her greater advantage. Struggling over the ball, Serena quickly began to feel as if Blair was going after more than just the ball.<p>

"Look, I made a mistake with Nate okay" Serena tried to reason during their struggle "We don't have to be friends…" she said before Blair whacked her with the hockey stick causing her to fall down on to the ground. Taking a moment to collect herself, Serena rose from the ground before she took her stick to hit the ground angrily while all Blair could do was smile at her cheap shot at the blonde

"Waldorf?" The teacher asked wondering why she took such a cheap shot

"Sorry, slipped" Blair replied as she walked towards her spot on the field before the teacher turned her attention over to Serena

"I'm fine" Serena declared

"All right, lets keep it clean ladies" The teacher told them just as Serena walked past Blair

"I really wanna believe that was an accident" Serena told her

"Then you must be delusional" Blair laughed to herself. Running over towards the ball, Serena began to bring the ball up that was until Blair ran up and jabbed her in the stomach. Nearly losing her breath from the blow, the teacher quickly raised a green card up against Blair

"Waldorf, focus on the ball" The teacher said

"Thank you" Serena praised the decision

"Oh, stop acting like you're the damn victim in this" Blair replied before she slowly backed away

Now caught up in the heat of action, the girls were playing an intense game that was going down to the wire. With Serena being the most skillful on her team, she handled the ball most of the time as she was nearly bringing her team back to win the game. Passing the ball to her, Serena in a mad sprint was able to surpass the defenders as she passed off to the girl beside her so she could advance further before getting the ball back. She was nearly inches away from where she had anticipated to pull the trigger and hit her spot in which she knew she'd be able to score. Cocking her stick back ready to fire, Serena was soon torn from her goal as she was up ended into the air by none other than Blair. Letting out a growl of anger as she gripped the grass in between fingers.

"I'm running out of colors here Blair" The teacher told her as Serena quickly got up to get up in her face

"And I'm running out of patience" Serena replied "Enough, okay?" she asked in hopes that they would burry the hatchett

"It's enough, when I say its enough" Blair said not backing down from Serena

"Girls, play the game…leave the catfights until after school" The teacher said as they both went back to their respective teams to resume play. Receiving the ball from a teammate, Blair turned up the field and focused in on the ball as she tried to keep control of the ball before Serena swiftly ran across the field and tackled her to the floor. "Girls, break it up!" he yelled on at the girls as they just continued to wrestle with each other on the floor while the other girls huddle around them

"Get off me!" Blair exclaimed as she began to tug at Serena's hair before Serena tugged away from her grip and got off of her

"So we've come to physical blows now?" Serena asked in disbelief "Could we please just call a truce" she suggested as Blair ran many thoughts through her head as to what she should do. There was no way that she was going to let Serena spin this to her advantage. Becoming limp in one of her legs, Blair screamed out in agony as the overwhelming pain became too much for her

"My leg!" Blair called out

"Serena, you're out of here" The teacher said as he walked over to access the damage as Isobel and Katy helped their ailing friend

"I hope its broken" Serena muttered to Blair as she left the field

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gossip Girl: Hey Upper East Siders. We hear that World War Three just broke out and it's wearing knee socks. Choose your side or run and hide. We have a feeling that this one is to the death.<strong>_

* * *

><p>Although today was a momentary success against Serena, Blair knew that she'd have to do more than fake limp her way through the rest of the day if she wanted to do maximum damage to Serena. There was no way that she could let Serena gain the sympathy of the school, and if she wanted to break the former it girl than she would have to use the information she had in her arsenal. Acquiring the needed information she needed in order to deliver the perfect outing of Serena, and what better way to ruin her than to add her future along with it. Ever since they were little, she had always remembered her friends desire to attend Brown University…it was the only school that Serena would ever dream of going to even though she had less than average grades. If she was going to exact revenge then it had to come in the form of the luncheon, and it had to be soon or else she was going to explode with anger. Stepping off the elevator still dressed in her gym attire due to acting purposes, Blair rolled her eyes in irritation as Dan came out of the kitchen with plate in hand as he stuffed his face with Darota close behind with a smile plastered on her face.<p>

"Since when is the staff suppose to take snacks" Blair stated in annoyance as she made her way over to the living area

"Ms. Blair, you look a mess" Darota said as she rushed over to her

"It was no thanks to Serena. I tell you, she's unhinged in the head or something" Blair replied as Dan began to laugh to himself

"I heard about the throw down on the field" Dan laughed "Who knew you Blair Waldorf could fight" he said "You even scarred up your knuckles there a bit" he went on to notice

"Shouldn't you be working? Not stuffing your face?" Blair asked

"This is work. Your mother wanted us to try out the caterers that she had sent over for an upcoming party…this is house management" Dan said

"I'm sure" Blair replied in irritation as she sat her phone down on the table

"So should we get started with our soirée, I've come up with a list of things we could feature in the panel" Dan told her as he pulled out his notebook

"Maybe you like to come home and sweat it out over homework, but I'm going to take a shower and get washed up because unlike you, I don't like to smell I just traveled through a Mongolian meat market" Blair told him "Darota, will you please put all my calls to voicemail and if any of my minions call then give them the usual time in which they should call under call back times" she then turned to tell Darota

"It amazes me how you multitask in being evil" Dan replied as he leaned back in his chair "Is there any possible way you could actually be civil to me and not treat me like I'm trash" he said

"I really don't have the time, nor do I care what you feel….if you were smart then you would have picked up on that" Blair replied as she made her way over to the staircase

"I'm not going anywhere. I will be right here" Dan said

"I don't doubt that" Blair replied as she knew the leech would be sitting in the same position when she returned as she head up to her room

"What a bi…no, no. I will not call her that even though she is it down to the bone" Dan said to himself not wanting to stoop down to degrading the brunette. Running his hand through his hair in frustration, he was soon torn away from his frustrations by the ringing of his cell phone. Pulling his cell phone out, he looked on to see that it was Jenny calling him "Yeah, hey Jen" he said answering the phone

"Are you at Blair's?" Jenny asked

"Yes, I'm in hell to be exact but yes, I'm at Blair's" Dan sighed "What's up?" he then asked

"Well I don't want to sound to happy, but I am" Jenny said happily "I made it past the first round" she declared

"First round of what?" Dan asked

"Of freshmen intake" Jenny said

"Okay, I'll pretend to know what that means" Dan sighed as he looked on to see Blair's cell phone vibrating on the table. Getting up from the table, he reached over to grab the cell phone to take up to Darota but when he looked on to see that the Ostroff center was calling. "Jen, I'll call you back" he said before he hung up the phone while looking around to see that he was alone before he answered Blair's phone "Hello" he answered

* * *

><p>Looking on strangely at her phone after her brother's sudden hang up on her, finally concluding to herself that maybe it was just as well that they stopped talking seeing as she only had a only a limited amount of time before she had to catch the bus. Making her way inside the center, Jenny signed in with the nurse then made her way over to Eric's room. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, Jenny reached over to his nightstand to look through one of his gaming magazines that he had subscribed to during his stay here. Taking a glance at her watch she had known exactly that he was probably finishing up his final evaluation. She was thrilled that she was finally going to have her friend back at school, although they had met in class she had come to really enjoy her time with him over the past couple of months. Growing more and more concerned about the video games that were being featured in the magazine as all of them consisted of gory images that she felt might not be suitable for him. Just as she got caught in the mess that was his magazine, Eric had made his way into the room surprised to see her.<p>

"I wasn't expecting you so early" Eric smiled as he walked over to hug her

"I told you I was going to come by and tell you all about my day. How was your session?" Jenny asked

"I'd rather hear about school, that's how it was" Eric replied as he flopped down on his bed

"That bad?" Jenny asked as she laughed

"Yes. I believe that this was the worst one to date" Eric sighed "But seeing you here has made up for the crap fest that has been my day" he said

"Well, I do tend to give good company" Jenny smiled "So I've officially made it past freshmen intake, at least the first round" she told him

"Freshmen intake? Wait you were actually serious about the whole Blair Waldorf thing?" Eric asked "I never pegged you as a Blair Waldorf type" he said

"What exactly is a Blair Waldorf type?" Jenny asked

"Basically rising from the level of freshmen to one of her minions. Do you really want that?" Eric asked

"I want to fit in. It's easy for you to criticize her because you've practically been around her your whole life, but I like her…I think she has some endearing qualities" Jenny said

"Yes, Blair does have her moments. I'm not going to say that I hate her, I just think when your sister is best friends with her, and they are constantly best friends or frenemies…it gets kind of confusing at times about what you like about that person. I feel the same way about Serena, I mean she's back but in the back of my mind I'm wondering what now? What scandal is she going to be a part of next" Eric said

"Never thought that you'd dread your sisters return, I thought you two were close?" Jenny asked

"We were, when we were little but as you can tell…as Serena's popularity grew the more detached she became from the family, and then my mom was always off at social events trying to maintain the family name even when Serena was wrecking it. I guess after a while you get use to things going bad in my family" Eric said

"Did your family have anything to do with you ending up in here?" Jenny asked

"I just got in a dark place" Eric said as he struggled to tell her

"You don't have to…I just, I guess we never really talked about you in that sense so I just was wondering" Jenny said

"No, its fine. I think it might actually help if I talked about it with you" Eric smiled weakly at her "Jenny, I tried to…I tried to kill myself" he said

"Why?" Jenny asked

"Being in this world, it's a constant reminder of perfection and how you have to always be perfect. Problems aren't accepted. You can't wish for anything less only greater things. My mom was never really around, and Serena had her friends…so I had no one….until you" Eric smiled

"You should go to the luncheon with me" Jenny then suggested to him

"Okay, that was a weird segway. How did we go from talking about me to a luncheon?" Eric asked

"Because I think that you should get out of this depressing room, and take me out" Jenny told him

"Take you out, huh?" Eric smiled happily

"Yeah, everyone should hang out with friends" Jenny smiled before she reached over to mess up his hair "Now lets get you packed because I can't wait to come visit you without having to sign in….or do you have to do that at Palace still?" she asked

"No" Eric replied unable to hide his sadness "Friends are always welcome" he went on to say only driving the friendship dagger deeper into his heart while Jenny went on a rampage in his closet

* * *

><p>Luckily throughout the week, Blair was able to find some trait in Humphrey that made him easy to work with, but she would never say that to him, let alone make him feel as if he was safe in her house. For the most part everything was strategically planned for the luncheon and everything was locked and loaded for the ultimate reveal. With help from Isobel and Katy, Blair was able to get word on the fact that Serena was planning on attending the luncheon to talk with Brown representative about the possibilities of her going there. Of course that small fact caused Blair a few good chuckles here and there because Serena's grades were barely even good enough to get into a regular university much less an ivy. It always amazed her what type of logic Serena had to just think she could show up and be accepted just because she was Serena freakin van der Woodsen. Today, she'd prove that Serena was no better than the rest of them, once and for up in front of the school in her limo, Blair got out of the car with assistance from her driver to see Nate waiting for her in the courtyard. A part of her wanted to ignore him but she knew that she just couldn't keep ditching him, eventually they were going to have talk. Slowly making her way over towards him, he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek before he pulled away.<p>

"You look beautiful" Nate told her

"Thank you" Blair replied "I heard you got the usher position for Dartmouth, I'm sure your excited about that" she then congratulated him

"Not really, I mean its what my dad wanted" Nate sighed

"Your dad? Nate you've always mentioned Dartmouth" Blair said

"Because of my dad" Nate said soon realizing that this conversation wasn't the best one for them to be having, especially when he was trying to make things right between them "I miss you" he then stated as she lowered her head to look away from his eyes

"I…" Blair began to say before she looked over to see Dan coming out into the corridor with Carter in tow "I miss you, too" she said tearing her attention away from Dan and back to Nate

"So then lets end this, lets start getting back to us" Nate suggested as he grabbed her hand to kiss "We should go away for the weekend" he then said

"Oh…any…any suggestions" Blair said as she looked over once again at Dan and Carter, who were then joined by the guy she had met at the Ostroff center earlier this week. Becoming alarmed, Blair pulled her hand away from Nate "I can't talk right now. I have…I forgot that I have to do a last minute run through" she said before she quickly made her way over towards Dan

"Dan" Carter said as he motioned over towards Blair, who was coming up to them

"Mr. Bryant, have you checked in yet?" Blair asked the man

"I've all ready spoken to my group" Mr. Bryant said "I'm highly impressed with this school" he went on to rave

"Excuse me, what did you say? How did you all ready speak to a group? The program hasn't even started yet" Blair asked as she looked from Dan to Mr. Bryant

"I might a last minute adjustment" Dan told her "It was about making sure you have good mental health in order to succeed" he said

"Yeah, it was very riveting" Carter smiled on at Blair knowing that she was probably having a cow right now

"I really wish you would have told me about this?" Blair told Dan just trying not to do any physical harm to him before Nate walked over to join them

"Carter. Dan" Nate greeted the two

"Nate Archibald, we've officially reached those we thought were unreachable" Carter laughed to himself

"What's going on?" Nate asked Blair not obliging Carter's desire to start something with him

"Nothing" Blair said before she grabbed on to Dan's arm "Can we talk partner?" she asked as he had no chance to reply as he was being tugged into the hallway

"Ouch!" Dan declared as he tried to pull away from her grip

"You traitor!" Blair yelled at him before she hit him with her purse "You went behind my back and added things, after you specifically made a big deal about us working together" she said

"Only because you were going behind my back to screw over Serena" Dan replied as she looked at him with shock on her face "Yeah, I figured it out. The Ostroff center, really?…why would you invite them to Ivy Week" he said

"Oh, God! Does my whole have existence have to circle around Serena?" Blair asked "I invited Mr. Bryant for a special presentation" she said

"To embarrass Serena. He told me that you were asking about her visits and how often she frequented…I know everything" Dan said

"This isn't over. Not by a long shot Humphrey" Blair replied angrily at him "Serena thinks she can just come in and give her sorry's like its suppose to be big coming from her, well I'm tired of it!" she declared

"And I get that" Dan said before she interrupted him

"What do you know about it? I bet your one of the many people who fawn all over her….the only reason you did this was to make nice with her" Blair replied

"I did this to stop you from making a huge mistake" Dan replied

"Oh, God. Spare me the PBS moment" Blair replied "In case you haven't noticed, on this side of town, things are cut throat" she said

"Okay, so you do this. You embarrass Serena, how will that make you any different?" Dan asked her "What will you gain from this?" he asked

"Look, I don't expect you to get it on how things are, but stay out of my way or else I will destroy you" Blair told him

"You will regret this" Dan said

"As will you" Blair said before she stormed off

* * *

><p>Nervously being lead through the group of people that gathered around at the luncheon, Eric began to feel as if he were an outsider making his way to the party for the first time. It had been enough to get eyes on him just because he was Serena van der Woodsen's little brother but ever since his attempt, he just felt in general that all eyes were on him. Looking back at her friend, Jenny smiled back at him hoping and trying to reassure him that things were going to be fine and that he was worrying for nothing. Stopping off at the appetizers they both grabbed something to munch on while they looked on at all the representatives that came from the different ivy leagues and the students that would have sold their souls just to attend their schools. Noticing her brother with a friend, Serena walked over towards Eric with the biggest of smiles on her face.<p>

"Eric, you came" Serena smiled at her brother as she wrapped him up in a hug

"Yeah, uh…Jenny made me" Eric replied "Serena, this is Jenny Humphrey. Jenny, this is the great Serena van der Woodsen" he introduced the two

"Wait, are you Dan's sister?" Serena asked

"Yes" Jenny smiled

"Oh, well its finally nice to meet you. Eric tells me that he's got a friend, and I hung around late just to see this friend…so I'm glad to meet you" Serena said as Eric felt embarrassed

"So have you talked with the Brown rep?" Eric asked his sister

"I have not. I've been waiting for the right time" Serena said "I get so nervous just going up to some rep and then relaying my life story" she said

"I'm surprised you get nervous" Jenny replied

"Big time" Serena laughed "How are you feeling?" she asked wondering how her brother was dealing with his first day out

"This makes me feel like I'm back in that room with that Brazilian woman, where she's asking me questions about Florida" Eric replied trying to feel comfortable as both Jenny and Serena laughed

"I have a grandma that lives in Florida" Jenny thought off the top of her head as Eric just looked at her "In my head it sounded comforting" she laughed

"Has your brother made it yet?" Serena asked

"Uh…I haven't seen him since this morning" Jenny replied as they began to scan the crowd in search of Dan before Serena finally laid eyes on him and became excited to see him

"There he is" Serena smiled as he walked up to them

"Hey Dan" Jenny smiled at him while Blair made her way through the crowd with Isobel and Katy right on her heels

"Hey, I know this is going to sound weird, but I think you guys should go" Dan told them

"Okay, that was weird. Dan this is Eric, Serena's brother" Jenny introduced Eric but found her brother's weird behavior a bit od

"And we have reached the point of no return" Dan said to himself in hopes that they would understand and just flee "Serena, you have to go. All of you actually because…" he said before Serena cut him off

"Why do we have to go? What's wrong with you?" Serena asked with much concern for Dan

"Look, I can't explain but you should go" Dan warned them once again

"Eric, I'm sorry. My brother is acting more crazy than usual" Jenny told him just before Blair grabbed the microphone

"What's wrong?" Serena asked again as Dan wore a look of defeat on his face before he turned to look at Blair up on the stage.

"Can I please have everyone's attention" Blair said as everyone turned to the stage "Welcome again to Constance Billiards and St. Jude's luncheon. My name is Blair Waldorf, chair of the community outreach committee" she said as everyone began to clap for her except Dan as he knew what this was all leading to. Making his way towards the stage, Dan shook his head in disbelief that she was actually going to go through with this

"Who knew she was so involved" Jenny whispered to Eric

"You clearly don't know Blair then" Eric laughed

"Every year our schools choose to support one local institution that we feel benefits our community. This year our schools have chosen to honour the Ostroff Centre" Blair revealed sending a nervous feeling through Eric's body as he looked around thinking that everyone's attention had turned towards him. Listening in intently as to where Blair was going with this, Serena couldn't help but notice that Eric was slowly becoming a nervous wreck but she was thankful that Jenny had grabbed onto his hand to cause some sort of relief. Looking down at their connected hands, Eric didn't know whether to feel like this was a moment between them or her showing support for him

"Blair!" Dan whispered loud enough so that she could hear, but she paid no attention to the boy on the side of the stage that was trying to catch her attention

"This year's choice is a very personal one because the centre has helped one of our own." Blair smiled as all eyes began to look around to see who the lucky person was. Slowly getting a clue as to where Blair was going to take this, Serena had hoped that it would be her and not Eric. "It's because of their excellent programme which aids so many young addicts and alcoholics, that a student here with us today is clean and sober... at least for now. Can I please have Serena Van Der Woodsen join me on stage?" she then requested as everyone turned back to look at Serena, as all Serena could do was stare at her friend with all the hurt in her eyes that she would even take it there, but out of all the things…she was just glad that Eric could breath a sigh of relief

"I always knew she'd be a druggie" Katy whispered to Isobel while Serena made her way through the crowd. Jumping up on the stage, Dan quickly grabbed on to Blair's arm

"Let go of me Humphrey" Blair retorted

"No" Dan replied as he nearly dragged her off stage just as Serena had grabbed the mic

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gossip Girl: Honesty may be the best policy in some zip codes but not in this one and not this week because "I Was a Teenage Drug Addict" is not exactly a winning college essay.<strong>_

* * *

><p>Dragging Blair into an open classroom, Dan quickly closed the door behind them as she just stood there in anger. Folding her arms, she watched him pace the floor as if he were extremely pissed with her but at this point she could care less as to what Humphrey was feeling. It wasn't exactly how she wanted to do it, but she felt a sense of pride knowing that she finally put a bump in Serena's plan. She began to relish the look on the Brown representatives face once he had learned this information. The great Serena van der Woodsen was nothing more than a recovery addict, there was no way in hell that Brown was even going to think about Serena now that her reputation had been tarnished for all to see. Finally coming up with the words to say to Blair, Dan ran his hand through his hair just hoping that there was a soul inside of her that would comprehend the damage she had just done.<p>

"Do you understand what you've just done" Dan said angrily

"Yeah, I finally revealed the real Serena…and I feel good, so spare me the Full House moment Humphrey" Blair replied "I could care less what you feel about me because at the end of the day I'm not trying to impress you, I've been betrayed and I just got a little bit of an old fashion case of revenge" she said

"That's what that was? It just looked like you being a total bitch" Dan told her "You think you got back at her but you looked just as bad up there" he yelled

"That's your opinion" Blair yelled at him

"You want to know what the sad thing is, you think your so damn smart but in this….you're the idiot. You're the complete fool in this scenario" Dan told her before she slapped him across the face. Surprised by the force behind the slap, he took a moment to massage

"Look who is talking, the boy that works for my mother. The boy, who's father still thinks he's a rocker. The boy who has no clue about this world" Blair replied in the nastiest of tones at him while he still massage his face as he turned to look at her "I'm done with this, and considered yourself fired" she then added with the same coldness before she made her way over to the door

"It was Eric" Dan said causing her to stop dead in her tracks

"What?" Blair asked

"You got the wrong person" Dan said "The van der Woodsen that was at the Ostroff Center was Eric" he said as she slowly turned around to look at him like she had seen a ghost "See that's the funny thing about revenge, you get so blinded by it that you forget to look at all the facts, because if you had asked specific questions to Dr. Bryant than you would have known that the only reason why Serena frequented the center was because she was coming to visit her brother, Eric van der Woodsen" he said before he walked past her and made his way out of the classroom

"Dan, wait!" Blair called out as tears began to well up in her eyes at what she had done to not just her best friend but to someone at one point she considered to be her little brother as well. Coming out into the hallway, Blair was caught off guard to see the Headmistress standing in front of Dan

"So you two put on an interesting display out there" The headmistress said

"I can explain…" Blair replied as she tried to take responsibility

"I really don't care to hear why it was necessary to reveal that Serena van der Woodsen attended the Ostroff Rehabilitation Center, I would buy it as an honest goof but I'm in no mood to hear any reason" The headmistress said as Dan just hung his head in disbelief by today's events "You two, detention for two weeks" she told them

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gossip Girl: Another bomb lands in Blair's lap. Will she use it as ammunition or will she finally surrender and put down her arms?<strong>_

* * *

><p>Holding her umbrella that shielded her from the rain that poured so frantically, she gripped on tight as she made her way through the silenced park. She had hoped that the next day she would feel some sort of victory that she had put a wrench in Serena's future, but the only thing she had learned was that maybe revenge was something she'd have to let go in order to forgive. She didn't want to hurt or feel betrayed anymore because frankly it was something that made her feel even lesser than she was. If she was ever going to rebuild and move on then she had to realize that she would have to find it within herself to forgive. Coming up an a secluded spot with regal arches, Blair was relieved to see that she still knew a bit about her friend that so she wasn't a complete stranger to her. Looking up, Serena was caught off guard to see Blair standing there before her. Closing up her umbrella, Blair slowly walked towards her friend as Serena began to rise from her seat hoping that it wouldn't be yet another smack down between them.<p>

"Whenever something was bothering you, I would always find you here" Blair observed of the place she had come to known ever since knowing Serena

"You here for another cat fight?" Serena asked before Blair opened up her clutch purse and pulled out a white envelope before closing to hand over to Serena

"What is this?" Serena asked

"A letter. I wrote it to you while you were away at boarding school" Blair told her as Serena looked on at the envelope wondering if she should open it "I never sent it though…I figured what's the point" she said as tears began to well up in her eyes "Dear Serena, my world is falling apart and you're the only one who would understand. My father left my mother for a 31 year old model; a male model. I feel like screaming because I don't have anyone to talk to" she cried "You're gone. My dad's gone. Nate's acting weird. Where are you? Why don't you call? Why did you leave without saying goodbye?…..You're supposed to be my best friend. I miss you so much. Love Blair" she told her

"Why didn't you send it" Serena said trying to hide her tears "I could've…" she said before Blair interrupted

"You could've what?…you knew Serena, you didn't even call" Blair cried

"I didn't know what to say to you. I didn't know how to be your friend after what I did" Serena cried "I'm so sorry" she told her friend

"Humphrey gave me a rude awakening about Eric. I guess your family has been going through a hard time too" Blair said as she started up conversation

"I thought you and Dan don't talk" Serena said through muffled tears that she wiped away

"We don't" Blair laughed

* * *

><p>Taking a rag, Dan began to clean the kitchen counters while Darota finished preparing lunch for the day. He hadn't really argued or tried to go behind Blair's back to see if she had grounds to fire him because he was just at this point where he was tired of dealing with Blair in general. Throwing the rag over his shoulder he began to wonder if he should tell Darota that this was his last day on the job. Maybe this was for the best he thought to himself because with the added detention that they would have to serve together, there was only so much Blair Waldorf he could take. Putting the dish rag in the sink, Dan nodded over at Darota before he made his way out of the kitchen with a slight laugh on his face. Grabbing his jacket that was resting on the chair, he began to put it on just as the elevator doors opened. Looking over at the elevator he soon wished that he had hurried up so that he would have avoided seeing Blair.<p>

"I'm leaving" Dan said as he attempted to walk past her but she had cut him off

"Actually, do you think you could stay?" Blair asked

"No" Dan said as he attempted to leave again but she had once again stepped in front of him

"But I think you should stay" Blair said

"I don't want to" Dan replied as he slid over to move past her but she got in front of him

"I'm trying here" Blair said

"This is you trying to do what?" Dan asked in confusion as to what cutting him off at every step was supposed to translate to

"To you know, do that thing when you were wrong about something" Blair said not eagerly wanting to admit that she was wrong

"You mean apologize" Dan said

"Yeah, that thing" Blair replied

"I'll be waiting for that to happen" Dan said before he tried to move past her but yet again she cut him off "Waldorf!" he said in frustration

"Look, I can't do that because I…I can't stand you" Blair said before he cut her off

"And this is an apology. You need help, serious psychiatric help" Dan told her

"I'm trying Humphrey" Blair said through gritted teeth "You can't stand me. I can't stand you. So why don't we just admit that and move on from this" she said

"So is this a momentary thing due to guilt and ignorance of facts or is this something that's going to stick?" Dan asked

"Me disliking you is pretty much set in stone" Blair replied "But I think I can dislike you while you still work here" she compromised

"So what? Your unfiring me now?" Dan asked

"Yes, I'm unfiring you" Blair said

"Is this the closest I'm every going to get to an apology?" Dan asked

"This is the closest your going to get to me" Blair replied

"Fair enough" Dan said as he turned to take off his jacket

"Humphrey" Blair said as he turned to look at her "You tried, yesterday…you tried to warn me and then stop me. Why not let me go through with it not knowing the repercussions?" she asked

"Because, Waldorf, I don't think your that heartless as your proclaim to be" Dan smirked before he headed back into the kitchen

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gossip Girl: So what will it be? Truce or consequences? We all know two wrong people, don't make a right relationship. What happens next? Only time will tell. XOXO Gossip Girl.<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>ChapterEpisode: Blair is thrilled when her mother, Eleanor, chooses her to be the new face of her clothing line. However, Blair's happiness soon turns to feelings of betrayal and jealousy when Serena moves into the spotlight and Blair is finds herself back in Serena's shadow. Meanwhile, Dan tries to empower the staff to stand up to Blair.**_


	4. Bad News Blair

**Author's Note: So we finally got the new episode that we had all been waiting for, I have to say I knew that it'd be all hype but I hope they deliver on the Dan/Blair. I actually liked their scenes in some odd way because if they rushed them into liking each other than I don't think I would have enjoyed it because slow and showing of the feelings is better than a typical GG relationship on the show. I loved Darota after the ep with the whole labrador comparison. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations as the script I usually read from to remember and pull some of the lines was in French so I had to translate on top of translate, so that's why it took longer. Be sure to read the bottom for future spoilers just in case your getting a little :)**

**Chapter Four- Bad New Blair**

_**Episode Summary: Blair is thrilled when her mother, Eleanor, chooses her to be the new face of her clothing line. However, Blair's happiness soon turns to feelings of betrayal and jealousy when Serena moves into the spotlight and Blair is finds herself back in Serena's shadow. Meanwhile, Serena and Dan are reminded once again that they come from two very different worlds, and Nate and Chuck indulge in a boys' weekend to blow off steam after Ivy Week.**_

_The town car pulled up in front of the store and all she could do for the few moments was listen and look at the pounding of the rain up against the rooftop of the car. Turning back to look at the eager young woman, the driver gave her a smile that let her feel as if everything was going to be all right. Looking around once more she questioned if she should get out and ruin her favorite black dress, but nothing could keep her away from her favorite store, Tiffany. Taking a deep sigh that allowed her to fill herself up with confidence, she reached into her purse and grabbed her pair of black designer shades before she put them on. Wearing the shades allowed her to transform into the woman she knew she was. Stepping out of the car and into the down pour of the rain, she reached back inside to grab her umbrella as she made her way towards the window of Tiffany's. Looking on in awe of her favorite pieces, she was soon torn away from her admiration when a burly security guard approached her._

_"Sorry, Miss, your not on the list" The Security Guard told her_

_"Of course I am. This is my dream" Blair replied in disbelief_

_"Not anymore" The Security Guard replied_

Immediately sitting up in her bed, Blair pulled the shades over off her face as what was supposed to be her dream, had turned into a nightmare. Hearing the sounds of chuckling and laughter come from downstairs, she found herself annoyed that her dreams were even being interrupted by Humphrey. Kicking back the covers, she made her way over to grab her silk robe as she was intent on scolding Humphrey for even being here so early in the morning, let alone acting like he had no house manners. Leaving her room, she hurried down the staircase and quickly entered the kitchen, catching both Darota and Dan off guard while the rest of the staff began to scurry about the kitchen to make sure they were doing something so that she wouldn't yell at them.

"It's up" Dan replied as he looked over at Blair as she just looked angrily back at him

"God, Humphrey! Do you loiter here now?" Blair replied with her arms folded as she made her way over to sit on the stool beside Dan

"Darota makes the best coffee in New York, and I was up all night writing…so I was in need of a good cup of joe" Dan smiled at her knowing that it was only annoying her even more "I would good morning sunshine, but ever since you entered there's this gloom now" he said causing a few snickers in the kitchen which Blair immediately scanned to see where it was coming from. With her back turned towards Blair, Darota let out a few more laughs before she turned around with a look of seriousness on her face to give Blair her juice

"You write, that's a scary thought" Blair quickly replied "Maybe you should search through Brooklyn for your joe and stop acting like you live here. I feel like I'm seeing you all the time, and its becoming quite annoying" she told him

"And yet, I get to see your glowing face" Dan replied just as they could hear Eleanor's yells from upstairs. "She's been like that all morning long, what's wrong?" he asked

"Ms. Waldorf is preparing for her new line, she waits for Paris to give feedback" Darota filled him in

"So when she waits, she yells?" Dan asked a bit confused

"It is her career we're talking about Humphrey. Not everyone can strum a guitar and sing a few 80's ballads that no one cared for in the first place" Blair said as she sipped on her juice

"I feel like that was a dig at my dad" Dan stated

"Because it was" Blair replied so casually as she looked over to see a few of the staff members talking amongst themselves off in the corners of the kitchen "We don't pay you to talk. Do something" she scolded them as they quickly went about their business

"Do you have to be so rude?" Dan asked as he sipped his coffee "I mean what is them talking as they work doing to you?" he asked

"Why do I have explain myself or my beliefs to you?" Blair then asked

"You don't. I just think you put in extra effort to be the witch in the house" Dan said

"Are you trying to get fired? Because that could very well happen right now" Blair said

"I looked over my contract, you can't fire me. Your mom, yes. You, no…so your pretty much my peer in all things" Dan said

"Please, anything with me and you on the same playing field is you creating notions that everyone is equal in social standings" Blair replied

"No one said anything about social standing" Dan laughed "This is about you being a dictator that everyone hates" he said

"Okay, look at me" Blair told him as he obliged her wish as he turned to look at her "I. Do. Not. Care. What. You. Think. About. Me. Do. You. Understand. Me" she said mouthing the words with much emphasis

"We should create like a document stating what we expect as the staff here" Dan suggested to Darota, who wanted to agree but found Blair's look a bit intimidated to do anything but play dumb

"I treat Darota with respect. We have so much respect that she wouldn't fall for you hair brain idea of creating so called document" Blair said

"Why wouldn't she? I mean you make her do every little thing for you. I get that your rich enough to hire help, but some things you can do for yourself" Dan told her

"Spoken from a true poor person. How, classic is this moment" Blair laughed to herself

"No, spoken from someone who has been here long enough to see how you are" Dan replied

"I think you like hearing yourself talk because that's all you do. You talk, talk, talk, talk, and talk" Blair replied

"Because I'm hoping that what I say will seep in with you. Everyone else is afraid of you, I'm not" Dan said

"What? You think you can read me…pull back the layers of my broken heart" Blair said dramatically "Clearly you've watched too much television to create that illusion" she said "And as far as everyone, I do know for a fact that some people like me around here…not that it matters to me" she said

"Really? Name the people that work for you?" Dan asked her as her eyes immediately darted over to Darota for some sort of help in this area but found that she was on her own.

"Henry" Blair said

"Okay, the driver. Next" Dan obliged

"Jas..JasThomLouFrank…Frank" Blair said trying to just conjure up names

"And my point is proven" Dan laughed "You expect respect from your so called staff, but you have yet to give it" he told her

"Bored now" Blair declared as she got up from her seat leaving behind her barely touched plate of food

"Of course you are" Dan smirked just as Blair stopped short of leaving the kitchen just as Serena made her way into the kitchen catching them all off guard

"S, what are you doing here?" Blair asked surprised to her friend

"We're suppose to hang out, remember. I thought I would come by early to steal you away for the sale at Bensimon" Serena smiled "Hi, Darota. Hi, Dan" she greeted them

"I completely forgot…but then again, I was supposed to be reminded of this by a certain Brooklyn loser" Blair said before she turned to glare at

"I asked did you have make any personal appointments last night, your fault…not mine" Dan replied before he took a bit out of his bagel

"Ugh!" Blair groaned in frustration

"Wow! You've frustrated her. That doesn't happen often, you should consider yourself winning the battle" Serena laughed as she became impressed with Dan by the minute

"It helps when the mother's like you" Dan laughed "I can call…" he began to say before she cut him off

"No, no. I know this….Henry" Blair replied quickly as if she was trying to prove a point to him "Ha, goes to show you what you know!" she declared as they all looked confused by her outburst

"Okay, I will call Henry to tell him that you'll be leaving soon" Dan said

"Actually, I was thinking we could catch a taxi" Serena suggested as Blair just looked at her with confusion "With Henry we'd have to make sure we have to stick with time, and I feel bad when we make him wait…with a taxi, we leave when we want to. So what do you say?" she asked excitedly

"Do you know how many people go in and out of taxi's" Blair replied

"B?" Serena said hitting her friend on the arm as Dan just shook his head in disbelief

"I'd pay to see your experience in a taxi" Dan laughed to himself as Serena just looked at him with a bit of a smile

"Why don't you?….you should come see the experience" Serena asked him

"Okay, what?" Blair asked her friend "I think the point of us hanging out was for us to hang out…adding Humphrey to the mix doesn't make an us, it makes an unfortunate we" she said looking back at Humphrey with disgust

"It'll be fun" Serena replied "Dan, will you come?" she asked "It'll include taxi's and all" she told him

"Where are you guys going?" Dan asked "I'm not big on the shopping thing" he said

"And it shows" Blair muttered to herself

"I promise you that it'll be fun, you'll get the tour of New York like you never thought" Serena promised him "Please come with, I will not take no for an answer" she said

"Sure" Dan agreed as he looked over at Blair to see the look of horror plastered all over his face "Oh, this should be fun" he smiled

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: Uh oh, B, it appears someone didn't anticipate an intruder. Wonder if they'll be BFF's after this<strong>

* * *

><p>The day had pretty much been her worst nightmare, hanging out with Dan Humphrey had been the last thing she had ever wanted to do. She had hoped that days like today would be used for repairing her very damaged friendship with Serena, but instead she walked a few paces behind the two as they flirted like crazy. Serena clearly had no standards she kept thinking as she watched her friend shamelessly flirt with Brooklyn boy that drove her crazy. In some odd way Blair could understand why she got feelings for Nate, but now Dan…clearly she was just into anything that moved she thought to herself. Blair tried to interact with her friend, but Dan seemed to always have an opinion on something that made it nearly impossible for her to even attempt to make him feel unwanted or out of place because Serena was so hell bent on including Dan. Not only did she have to deal with him around the house, at school, detention…it was becoming too much for her. Dan Humphrey was intruding her world and she couldn't stop it, she couldn't now that Serena seemed so inviting to him. When she finally had the chance to be alone with Serena while he headed inside a sandwich shop in Soho, Blair took the opportunity to knock some sense into her friend.<p>

"My God, I forgot what it is to hang out with you" Blair told her friend

"What do you mean?" Serena asked with a bit of laughter

"Dan Humphrey. Really? Serena" Blair told her "You could do better" she said

"Dan is a nice guy and he's pretty funny if you take the time to get to know him" Serena said

"Oh, so you know him now?" Blair asked

"Not fully, but I'd like to" Serena told her as she could see that this was only making her friend even more displeased "Let's talk about something else, lets talk about families….not mine" she suggested

"I think yours is the interesting choice seeing as I screwed you over, I did say sorry by the way" Blair said

"But I think since your mother was on that whole tirade last night, I think you've bumped up to the important slot" Serena said

"You mean when she was so fascinated with all things Serena. I swear last night I thought Eleanor was Gossip Girl with how much she wanted to know about you" Blair replied

"She was just curious" Serena down played it

"Curiosity and Eleanor Waldorf don't go together" Blair said "I think she loves you more than she loves me" she joked

"That's not true. You're her daughter, she doesn't love anyone more than she loves you. Its just that she doesn't know how to show it sometimes" Serena replied

"Yeah, well her love and attention has turned towards her new line…so that gets her undivided attention" Blair said just as Serena's cell phone began to vibrate against her leg

"I'm sorry, I have to take this" Serena apologized once they both looked on to see that it was Lilly calling for her

"It's okay, go. Take it" Blair told her friend as she slowly backed away and headed over towards a more quiet part of the sidewalk just as Dan walked up to Blair with a brown paper bag in hand

"What's going on?" Dan asked as she looked over at Serena

"Her mom called" Blair replied as she began to smell something that was quite disturbing "Ugh! What is that smell?" she declared as she put her finger up to her nose to block the smell

"What? I picked up two Cubans for my dad and I…sandwiches, not cigars" Dan replied

"I smell pork….and cheese" Blair said in disgust she said as Dan held up the bag to his nose to see if he could smell it as well "Ew! Get it away from me" she said trying to hit the bag away from her

"It's just a sandwich, and its actually pretty good…you should try it instead of criticizing it" Dan told her

"Yeah, I'll try it when I want an self induced suicide" Blair replied "I think your time is up, you can go now Humphrey" she then told him

"Really? I kind of have the feeling that Serena wanted me here" Dan said

"And I'm sure in your mind this constitutes as the greatest day of your life, but she's my friend and we have much to work through…having you around is getting in the way of that" Blair said as he couldn't help but agree with the statement

"Okay, I guess I could agree with that, but how do I just leave…I mean that'd be rude" Dan said

"It's called just leave. It's not rude when there is someone who actually wants you gone" Blair replied

"To the normal person, but to you…that's questionable" Dan said "I need a good excuse" he said as Blair grabbed the brown bag out of his hand to go through it before pulling the sandwich out "What are you doing?" he asked as she opened the paper wrapping of the sandwich to pull the sandwich out

"I'm trying it like you said" Blair said as she took the top slice of bread off before she smeared it all over his shirt

"Blair, what the hell?" Dan jumped back in shock by her actions

"There. There's your reason to go" Blair smiled at him before she raised her hand up "Taxi!" she then called out as he looked on at the mess that was on his shirt from her brilliant spur of the moment idea

* * *

><p>Looking on at the post that was now going viral all over the internet, Eleanor didn't know whether this was her sign from God to just give up all hope of trying to add on to her legacy or getting repayment for past sins. Lexie Hammond, the model that she thought was going to carry the sophistication of her line was now featured on the internet snorting cocaine at a local club in Miami, along with a lovely picture of her throwing up her pear in a bathroom…voluntarily. Looking back at her associate, Laurel, to see that she had the same look of disgust on her face as she did, Eleanor knew that her hopes were quickly being drained away. List of things that she had planned for the unveiling of her line soon came to her as now all she had to plan was her sorry excuse as to why she jumped the gun and thought she'd be successful when she couldn't even manage to keep her model in line. Putting her head down on her desk, she just closed her eyes and hoped that when she would open her eyes that a new reality would be ahead of her instead of the one that she was in. Unsure as to what she should do for Eleanor, Laurel still couldn't help but gawk at the pictures of Lexie.<p>

"Maybe this is a good thing" Laurel said as Eleanor quickly looked at her

"How is this a good thing. She has made the vogue of Vera" Eleanor exclaimed trying to understand Laurel's reasoning just as Serena and Blair walked in to her mother's studio to find the women "And now she's made it onto TMZ, model's bulimia…this is the most disgusting thing I've every seen. I mean a perfectly beautiful woman treating her body like that is just appalling and makes her crazed in the head, I can't even stand to look at her because I'm just that disgusted by this" she ranted as everyone began to look at each other awkwardly as to what they should say

"What happened?" Serena asked

"Lexie Hammond, TMZ and Vera. Cocaine and Bulimia…not good" Laurel summed it up for Serena

"I saw the shots this morning, disgusting isn't quite the word I'd use for her voluntarily causing herself to throw up…I'd say more along the lines sad" Serena sighed as Blair felt a twinge of uneasiness with the topic

"So what are you going to do now?" Blair asked her mother desperately wanting to change the topic

"I was just mentioning to Eleanor that this might be good" Laurel replied

"The fact that your model is snorting and throwing up…how is that good?" Serena quickly asked

"Because it will force us to cut ties to the standards of fashion. We should be doing something innovative and risky….we should be looking for a new face, that will go well with your clothes, someone…in this book" Laurel said

"Trying something new, my mother doesn't try something new" Blair replied

"I hate American style" Eleanor stated

"Point made" Blair smirked as she knew the inner workings of Eleanor Waldorf so well

"It's current" Laurel replied

"If this person must represent Waldorf designs, then find me someone who is….deserving to wear these clothes" Eleanor said as she got up from her chair to pace the floor in contemplation of what her next move would be

"I like that your pacing, that means your thinking" Laurel smiled enthusiastically "Someone deserving. Someone who is a reprehensive of you in every form" she said trying to roll with the ideas while Serena and Blair took out their phones and began to text their inner circle not wanting to get in the way of the thought process

"Someone like me….someone like…" Eleanor said to herself before she glanced over to see Blair laughing with Serena, and in that moment it finally dawned on her "Someone like my daughter" she said staring at Blair just as Blair looked over at her mother with shock

"What?" Blair asked in confusion

"Why not? Who better to represent Waldorf designs than family" Laurel smiled in agreement by the idea as Blair looked from Laurel to Eleanor in utter confusion

"I'm doing my first dress for her" Eleanor declared

"Okay, can someone tell me just what is going on, I'm still in the what phase right now" Blair replied

"She'd love to" Serena then chimed in happy for her friend

"I would?" Blair asked

"Yes. It's perfect. I can see it now" Eleanor smiled at her daughter which made Blair feel some sense of warmth to see that kind of affection in her mother's eyes

"The new face of Waldorf designs, Waldorf to Bendels" Laurel said in admiration of the creative moment they had just had together while Blair couldn't manage to get rid of the smile that was on her face

"I guess I am" Blair then stated as she looked from her mother to Serena who was smiling from ear to ear for her friend

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: Is that a smile on B's face, looks like the spotlight is finally on her and S there helped her. I assume miracles do exist.<strong>

* * *

><p>Standing in the mirror she imagined herself in her mother's dress, she imagined what it felt like to be like her mother in that moment. Being a child of the Upper East Side, they weren't privileged to that life in which you would have a close and loving relationship with their parents because so much of who they were was about becoming the next something…the next protégé of their parents, becoming the richest, it was all a business in this world. The way her mother looked at her had made her feel like she was the most beautiful person in the world, like if she were to tell her the sky was purple than she believed it because to her mother…she wanted to be that person, even if her witty comments didn't support the notion but deep down she valued that affection from her mother. Coming out of the restroom, Dan couldn't wait to get home so that he could do laundry for school tomorrow seeing as he had put it off as long as he could. Walking down the dim lit hallway, Dan couldn't help but look up to see Blair standing in the mirror holding up a dress to her. Leaning up against the doorway, he couldn't help but look at her because in this moment she almost seemed angelic, she almost seemed like she was vulnerable in this moment.<p>

"Jesus! Humphrey" Blair said jumping back in surprise when she saw Dan standing in the doorway "Stalkerish much?" she then told him

"And there went that thought" Dan said to himself as his previous thoughts were put aside as soon as she opened her mouth "Sorry, I was getting ready to leave. Do you have any appointments that you made that you need me to remember?" he asked as she looked angrily at him but figured that was a valid question just as she turned to put the dress down before making her way over to her desk to pick up her notebook

"I need you to make an appointment with my hair stylist tomorrow for early in the morning…she'll know what time. Then I need you set up an appointment for me to go to the spa, just a manicure is needed. Then I need my usual make up palet to be made, Darota will pick that up" Blair told him before she put her notebook back down "Did you get all that?" she then asked as he was putting it in his phone

"Yes" Dan replied "Will your mom be needing the hair stylist as well?" he asked

"No, just me. I have a photoshoot tomorrow" Blair replied as she walked back over to her bed to sit on the edge of it

"Photoshoot? With who?" Dan asked

"Don't sound so surprised Humphrey, it's for my mother's new line for Bendels. Lexie Hammond got caught by TMZ and now my mother wants me, I had no intention of making that rhyme" Blair said

"Oh, well congrats on that" Dan told her "I mean it, that's not sarcasm, that's pure….just congratulations Waldorf" he babbled

"Whatever" Blair sighed

"Are you excited about it?" Dan asked her trying to create some sort of conversation with her

"What's there to be excited about? Its just a photo shoot" Blair replied like she didn't even care

"Just a photo shoot, it's a photo shoot for your mom. You'll get the chance to work with her, and maybe keep working with her" Dan replied

"Do you always have the notion that things are supposed to be one way? That we're supposed to have some overwhelming bonding experience?" Blair asked

"No, I just thought…I thought you were happy about this" Dan sighed realizing that it was a waste of time to think that he could have an honest conversation with her. Turning to leave, Dan was more than ready to just give up

"I would like that" Blair blurted out causing Dan to turn around "I've always heard how great Eleanor is, and how she is so innovative in the fashion world…I've only seen her in her office, and I couldn't figure how those descriptions could come about. Eleanor Waldorf is resilient and she is a business woman, so this can't be anything more than a photo shoot" she said

"You'll get to step into her world though. Maybe you'll see for yourself what is that people see in her" Dan suggested "Maybe you'll see yourself in her" he then stated

"I wouldn't make much of a model, so I wouldn't get carried away by claiming there would be more work to come for Waldorf designs" Blair said

"Maybe not, but it might lead to more time with your mom…Eleanor, I mean" Dan said sticking to the trend that was calling her mother by her first name rather than her given title. A moment of silence came between them as they both seemed a bit weirded out that they could actually have a civil conversation with each other .

"Bored now" Blair declared

"Yeah, I should go" Dan said as he quickly turned to leave her room. Walking back over to her dress, she picked up the dress and headed back over to the window to look on once more at herself. She wanted to be perfect and she wanted to make her mother proud to where maybe there could be future projects between them. Putting the dress down she walked over to her restroom and pulled out her drawer. Sifting through her drawer she opened up a purple box that held a tube with masking tape labeling with the words Ipecac syrup written on it. Closing the door to her restroom, she took the top off the tube and took a sip of the liquid before she quickly ran over towards the toilet and immediately began to throw up. Sitting down on the floor after she had finished, she felt a little bit light headed but she figured with just one more sip that it would be enough. Taking a deep sigh, she took another sip before she scrunched her face up in disgust by the liquid and once again she threw herself over the toilet to throw up.

* * *

><p>Listening to her ipod, Jenny couldn't help but hum along to her favorite melodies as she waited for Eric at their usual spot. School was yet another typical day for the blonde, but to be amongst her fellow Girls of the Step in training was starting to feel a bit much as they were getting so close to the real challenge week coming up. Blair had made some small talk with her, but in her mind hearing Blair say get out of the way was small talk to her so it wasn't that much to be excited about to the normal person. Hearing a bit of a rumbling come from around the corner of the hallway, Jenny took off to see what it was all about hoping that Eric wouldn't come out just yet. Looking at a few of swim team members laugh at a messy haired blonde boy, Jenny could quickly see that it was Eric who was being picked on. Making her way through the crowd of boys that began to gather, she soon realized that someone else had stepped in to take care of things. There he stood like the Abercrombie and Fitch model she always thought he was, Jenny was in awe of the great Nate Archibald.<p>

"Are you okay?" Nate asked Eric as he helped him up from the floor

"Yeah, I'm fine" Eric replied as the crowd began to disperse realizing that the fight was over

"Eric, what happened?" Jenny immediately rushed up to ask

"I guess being a know it all in class isn't great when your returning to school" Eric said

"Never had that problem so I can't really agree with you" Nate laughed at the statement "You'll be fine, just try to blend in" he told him

"Let's hope" Eric said as he ran his hand through his hair

"All right, I'll see you around" Nate said as he walked away. Jenny looked on at Nate walk away like he was some sort of a God, while Eric just laughed to himself

"What's so funny?" Jenny asked as she turned to look at her friend

"I know that I'm suppose to feel all demoralized because I got my ass kicked by half of the swim team, but…." Eric said before he began to laugh

"Your starting to make me think you're a crazy person" Jenny said

"That was the most fun I've had in months" Eric replied

"Okay, maybe they caused brain damage to you" Jenny said beginning to check his face and his head to see if any damage had been done to him physically to back up her claims of brain damage

"No, I'm fine" Eric replied "But we were in class and for the life of him, this guy couldn't sound out a word for the life of him. Finally, I said..the word is symphony, the word is symphony you idiot" he laughed

"You called him an idiot. Eric, that guy was twice your size" Jenny replied

"I know, but I just said it. I was able to just say what I felt without feeling like I was throwing the world off kilter…it felt exuberating" Eric smiled

"I bet. C'mon lets go before they come back and decide to do more damage that you'll find exuberating" Jenny said as she grabbed his hand. Looking on at their two hands linked together, Eric nearly felt his heart leap out of his chest just to even touch her "Let's go" she laughed as she lead him out of the hallway and out into the courtyard

* * *

><p>Standing over by his locker looking through his English books trying to mark up the spots that he wanted to cover during detention for his test tomorrow. He hadn't relished the idea that he was about to experience his first day of detention seeing as he made it his mission to never have extracurricular activities be detention. Looking off at the corner of the hallway, a slight grin came to Dan's face as he noticed Carter trying to flirt with the school cheerleaders using his bout about I might be rich someday so you grab be now line. Carter seemed a bit weird to him, but it was nice to know that there was one guy in this school that wasn't so obsessed with his future fortune five hundred company. Closing up his locker as he finished up marking all the spots he needed, Dan was caught off guard to see Serena standing beside his locker.<p>

"You're a hard person to find Humphrey" Serena smiled

"Not really. I'm easily found" Dan laughed "Do you make it a habit to come into the boys hall?" he asked

"Oh, you really have no idea what I made a habit of" Serena laughed to herself

"Because your Serena van der Woodsen, right, right" Dan smiled

"I just wanted to thank you for hanging out with Blair and I yesterday, I know Blair can be a bit much but I'm glad that doesn't bother you" Serena said

"I work at her house, and we have detention together" Dan said "I think we're learning that we both annoy each other" he told her "But I had fun, surprisingly" he then said

"Surprisingly" Serena laughed "I was also hoping that we could hang out again" she then suggested

"Slumber party at Waldorf's…I was just thinking we should do that" Dan joked

"No, I'm serious. I wanted to have a do over date seeing as our first time around didn't turn out so good" Serena said

"For reasons we won't disclose again" Dan replied "Okay, yeah. We should hang out" he agreed

"Do you have any suggestions because my ideas aren't really jumping out at me at the moment" Serena replied "You could just figure that all out. Tonight. Where? At what time? I'll leave that up to you" she said

"Your putting me on the spot here. I was going to plan a chariot ride through Central Park" Dan joked

"That'd be interesting, but I don't take you as that kind of guy" Serena said

"Because I'm not" Dan laughed as he leaned up against his locker taking a moment to think "The sunshine. Seven" he then stated

"All right, it's a date" Serena smiled as they were quickly joined by Blair, who seemed to be waving for another girl to come in along with her as they approached Dan and Serena

"Humphrey, I need a favor" Blair immediately stated to him

"Hello to you too Waldorf" Dan replied

"I don't have time for your sarcasm, I need results as in yes or no" Blair stated

"With a proposition like that, I wonder why I would ever think to twice about responding to your request" Dan replied sarcastically

"Can you cover for me in detention?" Blair asked

"No" Dan quickly replied "You're the one who got us into detention in the first place" he stated

"Clearly, but I have an important reason as to why I can't be in detention" Blair said

"Like?" Dan asked

"I'm afraid divulging this information will make you all judgmental and uptight…basically your normal self" Blair replied

"B, I don't think insulting him is going to get you what you want" Serena told her

"It won't get her what she wants regardless" Dan chimed in

"Will you for once hear me out instead of pulling from your holier than thou index…this is important" Blair said

"I'm sure it is" Dan sighed "What? Why do you need to go?" he asked

"I can't tell you" Blair replied

"B, tell him" Serena said

"Fine, but you can't use this against me" Blair stated as he nodded in agreement "I'm going to my photo shoot, actually we're going" she stated as she pulled Serena towards her

"We?" Serena asked

"Yes, we" Blair replied "So I just need you to cover" he said

"How am I going to cover, it's going to be obvious your not there" Dan replied

"Once again, wrong" Blair said before she looked on at the quiet brunette that stood beside her

"You can't be serious" Dan said as she just nodded "And your serious" he concluded

"B, a look alike. How did you even find her?" Serena asked in disbelief

"What? She's a minion. She wanted to be at my every beck and call, here she is at my beck because I called" Blair reasoned

"So your just going to insult her right in front of her face?" Dan asked

"Of course not, I'm not rude Humphrey" Blair replied "She's Russian, she has no idea what I'm saying. I had Darota call and tell her what was expected her…so I'm good" she told them

"Waldorf!" Dan groaned as he massaged his head "Once again your abusing your staff…" he said

"Yes, I know. I'm a horrible person, who doesn't have the slightest clue…can we please save this for a day where I really don't care what your saying. Yes or no Humphrey?" Blair asked

"If I agree to this, then we have to do serious talk about making some sort of an agreement that you will treat the staff better" Dan said

"Uh huh" Blair replied

"Fine. What do I have to do?" Dan asked

* * *

><p>The music rang loudly throughout the studio as it was becoming more and more your typical photo shoot. Terry Brands, one of the hottest up and coming photographers, had agreed to still do the shoot even though his prized model was being plastered all over the news at this point. It did feel a bit intimidating to have such a high profile photographer take her pictures but she had hoped that along the line that she would ease into it. Glancing over at Eleanor and Laurel, Serena had began to notice that they weren't in awe of Blair so far as she was a bit stiff in her poses. Deep down she was praying that with each frame that she was just going to unleash this inner wild child that was going to allow her to loosen up, but that was not the case. Looking over at the clock, Serena did feel like time was working against her as she was suppose to go off and meet with Dan at the sunshine but she was just hoping that she'd be able to leave Blair on a good note as opposed to a horrible one.<p>

"Ok, Blair, relax, decrease in the head, moving more and... OK, you're ready? Still one, this time around, breathe, jumps" Terry told her in hopes that it would inspire her to try something different "Now give me your best poses" he instructed but still got nothing in return from her like he had anticipated "This is it. Go, more. Think big. One, two, three!" he tried once again but still the same thing "OK, take a break. Thank you very much" he sighed as he turned to walk over to Eleanor and Laurel to set his camera down "Who chose this girl?" he then asked them

"Eleanor, why?" Laurel replied

"It is so lamb and steep, such a library, it is not natural" Terry tried to explain

"Yes but she look fabulous in these clothes, right?" Laurel said trying to sound hopeful

"My eyes, it looks like a goddess" Terry said as he reached for his camera to show the pictures he had taken thus far "These eyes, yuck. It looks like a statue. It is to sell it not for the press. It is a release, have fun, to explode. How the client will feel in it… love the dress if the dummy of to love?" Terry tried to explain to them as Eleanor just felt like it was one disaster after another. Noticing that nothing positive was being said about the photo shoot, Serena quickly rushed over to her friend

"First, you were amazing!" Serena said tying to encourage her friend as Blair just smiled

"I know" Blair smiled

"But can I give you a tip?" Serena asked

"Somehow I knew you were going to bring your modeling days in the mix" Blair laughed

"No, all what you need to do is drop you a little, you see?" Serena said as she showed Blair a pose "Think genie in a bottle" she told her friend

"Show me more" Blair laughed as she looked at how ridiculous her friend was being

"Make like a lion. OK?" Serena said as Blair looked at her with confusion with that suggestion "Come on! No, no, you must ROAR! Yes, yes make the Tiger! Make more Tiger! You're in the jungle. You're an Indian! Now, do in a more beautiful. You're Venus in his half shell. Throws the head. Do crazy stuff, like Britney and her umbrella. OK, Britney and her umbrella. Come on! I'm the car! In the car! Posh Spice in America. Ready? Come on! It is Cyborg Spice for you. You have to dothe pouty and cambrer. Remember-you hand on the hip. Cambre and poses. Go, continuing, you are a sexual bomb. It's perfect! You doing you very well!" Serena coached her through as they found themselves acting out all the ridiculous ideas that came to them as they went

"What are you doing?" Blair laughed as Serena walked over to her bag to grab her cell phone that was ringing

"It's Dan, he's calling me" Serena said as she picked up her phone

"Ugh, its only Humphrey. I need you here with me, you help relax me. I need you. I can not disappoint my mother" Blair told her friend making Serena really have to contemplate what she was going to do

"Hello" Serena answered the phone

"I'm sorry I'm running late, but I'm running out of my house as we speak and I should be there in ten minutes" Dan babbled

"Actually…actually, Dan. I can't make it tonight" Serena told him as he stopped dead in his tracks

"Why? What's up?" Dan asked

"Blair is doing really good with her photo shoot, and she needs me because if I leave then she's going to tense up" Serena went on to say as Dan just shook his head in disbelief

"No, no. It's okay. Be with Blair. We'll just reschedule another time" Dan told her

"You promise?" Serena asked

"Yes, I promise" Dan said as he made his way back inside the loft to see his dad sitting on the sofa playing his guitar

"I'll call you tonight" Serena said

"All right" Dan said not really looking forward to the supposed phone call she was going to make before they hung up

* * *

><p>Tossing his phone down on to the table, he felt like the foot once again as he allowed himself to fall for Serena's smile and guarantees. He told himself he'd be smarter next time around, and clearly he just got dooped and he just willingly walked into it. Walking over towards his father's guitar collection, Dan stood for a while accessing which guitar would best suit the painful, agonizing moment of teenage heartbreak until he finally realized the Les Paul was the only one that could suit this moment. Reaching for the guitar, he began to strum until he found a melody suitable enough to have stuck in his head before he walked back over to join his father. Flopping down on the sofa, Dan strummed away making up the lyrics of some emo song he was going to make famous after his longtime crush had turned out to be not what he had expected….that would be the stuff of ages he thought to himself. Looking on at his son, Rufus couldn't help but laugh at his son knowing that the only reason why he would pick out the Les Paul was due to the fact that he must really feel confused and crappy right now.<p>

"The Les…we must've had a crappy day" Rufus laughed "Or your finally taking me up on that jam session" he said as Dan stopped strumming random chords and started out with the intro to Nirvana's Teen Spirit making Rufus laughed

"That bad" Dan said once he stopped strumming "I don't know why I even care because I know…I know what to expect" he told his father as it seemed he was trying to tell himself

"Well maybe she really had something to do along the lines of…." Rufus said trying to think of a good excuse

"Blair. She had to be with Blair" Dan sighed

"Isn't that the girl you work for…" Rufus asked before Dan interrupted

"I work for Eleanor" Dan pointed out

"Isn't it the same thing?" Rufus questioned

"No" Dan sighed "It's not the same. I don't know what to think of Serena, dad, I'm not sure she's worth it" he said

"And this Blair girl, what about her?" Rufus asked

"She's a whole different story that would take literally every word in the dictionary to cover just how….infuriating she is" Dan told his father

"Okay, so let me lay it out for my own understanding. We have Serena, whom you don't know is worth it anymore. Then we have Blair, who needs to be described with every word in the dictionary because she's so infuriating" Rufus relayed back "Including the nice words, you know like….beautiful, ravaging, pretty, sweet…" he suggested before Dan just laughed

"Those words are stricken from this dictionary" Dan sighed "Let me put it this way, Blair Waldorf is basically everything I hate about the Upper East side, distilled into one ninety-five pound, doe eyed, bon mot tossing, label whoring package of girly evil" he proclaimed which only made his father laugh at how imaginative his mind could be when it came to this Blair character

"Word of advice. If there is one thing I have learned is that there something beneath the surface with these type of girls, which makes them act in such a way" Rufus replied as Dan continued to strum away at his guitar

"That's what I thought but every time I think I could uncover what's really there, she does something that blows my mind on how a person would even do such a thing" Dan replied

"And yet you keep going back" Rufus pointed out

"Those reasons are starting to become foggy" Dan sighed

"I dated a girl like Blair with a mixture of Serena…actually she was a lot like Blair. Girls like that are challenging, that is very much true. They are complicated and difficult…but they are very much worth it in the end. The only way to be sure though…is to jump both feet in" Rufus told him as he got up from his seat

"Wait, but what girl?" Dan asked "I mean I complained about Blair, but I'm interested in Serena" he told his father

"I think you'll know, it'll become clear along the way" Rufus smiled as he headed into the kitchen

"Until then, I'll just strum my Les Paul" Dan replied as he took a moment to think "Okay, I take that back…that sounded worse than what I had intended it to be" he said

* * *

><p>He had no intentions of running into Blair, but the thought of going a day without the addictive coffee that Darota made was just too much to pass up on. Getting up early, and basically tip toeing throughout the loft so that he wouldn't wake up Jenny, Dan booked it over to the Waldorf house at a time when he knew Blair would be sound asleep or in her coma before resurrecting he liked to joke. It seemed like everything was going his way as the ride over to the penthouse didn't take longer than ten minutes, and Darota pretty much knew that he was coming so she was brewing and setting aside a cup just for him so that he could be in and out without the morning banter. Making his way up on the elevator, a slight grin came to his face as he had to admit that he clearly got away with it and was still able to enjoy his perks in working for Eleanor Waldorf. Stepping off the elevator, he looked around to see that there was barely even any light coming in so everyone was pretty much still asleep but it was until he passed Eleanor's downstairs office that he heard Eleanor and Laurel inside talking. He didn't think much of it but it was until he heard Blair's name that made him stop.<p>

"Can we do something with this, I mean the money has been shelled out all ready and this is all we have" Eleanor sighed in frustration

"There is nothing I can do with this but leave it as is, and that's basically a boring picture that should be featured in depressing magazine" Terry stated

"That is my daughter that your talking about, I would like some sort of respect" Eleanor told him

"Respect has to be put aside right now because I don't want my name attached to something I truly do not believe in, and Eleanor…this isn't you" Terry replied

"So what am I supposed to do? I have Blair scheduled to take more shots this afternoon" Eleanor replied

"Well we did find something that we could use, and something that could very well make you" Laurel smiled

"I like smiles, what do you have?" Eleanor asked

"This girl" Terry said as he showed a picture of Serena

"Serena" Eleanor said "But look how they both look together" she tried to mention yet again

"No, this girl stands out with out a doubt where I wished I could have got more frames of her" Terry said "I wasn't even suppose to shoot these in the first place, but when I saw her interact with Blair…I knew you'd like this" he told her

"So basically you want me to dump my daughter and go with her best friend" Eleanor said

"Eleanor, she's your daughter but this is your company. Blair will understand, your providing a legacy for her" Laurel told her

"A legacy in which she will remain behind the scenes" Eleanor concluded

"Do what is best for the company and for the line" Terry encouraged her

"It's your decision, your choice but I know that you will agree with us both when we say that this can be fixable, but just not with Blair as the model" Laurel told Eleanor

"All right, lets scrap all the pictures of Blair. Schedule Serena and move on" Eleanor replied. Leaning up against one of the columns in the house, Dan hung his head as he knew that this was going to crush Blair. Making his way over towards the kitchen, Darota soon cut off his mad dash.

"Is Blair still asleep?" Dan asked

"Why?" Darota asked a bit confused

"Because…because she needs to know about something before it happens so it won't be as a surprised to her. I know, I know…but if I don't tell her then she's only going to be upset because even though she shrugged it off, I got this weird feeling like she looked forward to working with Eleanor, and that might come to an end because she might be getting the boot from the shoot. Then of course there is the fact that if she has a crappy day then she'll take it out on the rest of us and she might actually try to really get me fired this time…so I need to know if she's awake so I can somehow tell her what I just found out" Dan babbled leaving Darota confused

"Daniel, Ms. Blair is not here, she spent night with Ms. Serena" Darota replied as Dan just brought his hands up to his head

"The one time I don't want her around, she actually not around…if you talk to her just come up with some excuse for her not to go anywhere near the photo shoot" Dan said as he grabbed the cup of coffee from Darota

"Where are you going?" Darota asked still unsure about the conversation they just had

"To school. Hopefully I will run into her there" Dan said as he began to hit the button for the elevator to open upon his request.

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: The rules for a models, the day of a session photos are the same for a patient before operation... not to drink or eat in the 12 hours that previous. Wear comfortable clothes and you ensure that your affairs are in order. It is unclear what might happen in a Flash.<strong>

* * *

><p>Doing last minute homework, Jenny sat at their usual table in the courtyard during break just trying to crunch through. Flipping like crazy through her book trying to find the section in which she desired, she slowly saw the hope of doing last minute homework fade into her getting another bad grade in the class. Her displeasure wore heavily on her face as she secretly began to wish that she wasn't off training to be one of the Girls of the Steps because the next thing she was going to be training to be if her dad found out, was going to be Girl in Boot Camp. Coming out of the hallways, talking with a few of his friends, Nate looked over to see the blonde who had seen previously yesterday with Eric. Noticing that she looked a little upset, he broke away from his circle of friends and made his way over towards the girl.<p>

"Hey" Nate said catching her attention "I met your or saw you yesterday with Eric. I just noticed that you looked a little upset…" he said before she interrupted

"Yeah, I'm Jenny and I'm upset" Jenny replied as Nate just laughed

"About homework I presume?" Nate asked as he sat down at the table

"Yes. I was supposed to finish the section off but I have no idea how to do these problems because I was so tired from all the freshmen intake training" Jenny said

"Freshmen intake" Nate laughed "Your one of Blair's…it always surprises me where she creates these names from" he laughed

"I don't mind the name but the training is becoming a bit much" Jenny said

"I can tell" Nate said as he went through his cell phone to go through some of his contact list "I know this guy, he has a collection of homework piles…its like every class you can think of he has it" he told her

"Nate Archibald cheats" Jenny laughed

"I wouldn't go that far, but homework is not my strong point…especially when I spent half of the day at school" Nate replied "Can I see your phone?" he asked her as she quickly handed her cell phone over

"Thank you so much, this will help me so much" Jenny told him as he handed her back her cell phone

"I bet" Nate smiled "By any chance, do you know how Blair is doing lately?" he asked her

"Oh, uh…I thought you two were together" Jenny said

"We are but we've recently hit a rough patch, and I haven't heard too much from her lately. You get to see seeing as your in this whole Freshmen Intake, so I thought you could give me heads up on my girlfriend" Nate smiled as Jenny couldn't help melt at his smile. Making his way out of the hallway, Eric soon caught both Nate and Jenny in a smiling conversation. Feeling like this was becoming an every day feeling of inadequacy when it came to Jenny, he just sighed knowing that this was probably not going to be a good day for him. Walking over towards the two of them, Nate soon turned his attention towards the mini Van der Woodsen .

"Hey man" Nate smiled over at Eric

"Hey Nate" Eric replied

"Well I have to get going to my next class, but just call the guy and tell them I sent you, he'll get you caught up with your future assignments. If you bring a little cash he'll be more eager to do assignments for you, so just future tips" Nate said as he got up from his seat and put his bag over his shoulder "I'll see you around" he said to the both of them before he walked off

"Nate and you are friends?" Eric asked

"I guess. He just helped me out with my homework" Jenny said as Eric looked at her as if he wasn't buying that reasoning

"Nate and homework. They don't go together" Eric replied

"Yeah, I know but it was a different type of homework help…he gave me the number to this guy he uses to get his assignments" Jenny said

"That sounds more like Nate" Eric said

"Well it is smart to have a system like that. I mean who has time to really sit down and do homework now these days" Jenny said

"Uh, a student at this school" Eric replied unsure as to how he was supposed to answer the question

"You know what I mean" Jenny said

"Not really. Look, it's a little late to grab something quick to eat, so do you want to head to class?" Eric asked

"I have to finish up my homework, but I'll catch up with you" Jenny said

"Sure" Eric replied before he slowly walked off to his next class

* * *

><p>In a fast pace, Dan made his way down the halls in hopes of finding Blair since his earlier attempts hadn't been so successful. Why should he even care? He continued to ask himself as he found himself searching high and low for the brunette that could annoy him like none other. He thought for a dumb moment that he would go to Nate, but he knew that Nate knew as much about Blair at this current moment like he did just regular school work….Nate was not going to be an answer and neither could Serena. Turning the corner of the girls hall, Dan felt like time was working against him and his act of nobleness was about to go to the wayside if he didn't find Blair. Looking down at his watch as he continued to speed through the hallways, he lost track of how close he was walking to the doors. With his eyes going up and down, up and down, he walked straight into the opening door causing him to fall down onto the floor. Noticing that she had hit something, Blair peeked around to see Dan sprawled out on the floor moaning out slightly in pain as he took to the fetus position to aid the pain.<p>

"Oh, look. I hit a Humphrey" Blair stated as she laughed with her friends while Dan slowly sat up on the floor "Do you ever think of watching where you go? I hear it does wonders for those not seeking embarrassment" she smirked

"I have to talk to you" Dan said as he checked his face to see if any damage had been done

"Sadly, I have to talk to you as well" Blair sighed before she turned to her minions "Tell them I don't care if they're fingers have blisters, they will pick every pebble off of the very steps they dream of sitting on. Also, Hanna must go…who she decided to do last night is highly frowned upon, she put herself on the same level as Tila Tequila and I refuse to be associated with a reality has been" she told the girls as they jotted down her notes

"Is that all?" Katy asked

"That'll be all" Blair told them as they quickly walked off while Blair looked back towards Dan "Now, I need you to do what you did yesterday?" she asked him

"Wish that I had found another job" Dan said to himself "I need to tell you something" he said as he slowly rose to his feet

"I'm sure you do, but how about the answer to my first question" Blair said

"Have you talked to your mom?" Dan asked trying to deal with the pain

"She's at what we call a job, I know you don't see that often seeing as your father is trying to live out his fading career as a musician" Blair replied

"Could you not do the sarcasm…I have to tell you something" Dan said as the pain became a tad bit unbearable for him just as her phone began to vibrate. Looking down at her phone, Blair saw that it was Serena calling but with trying to squeeze an answer out of Humphrey and rushing over to the shoot, she had no time to really chit chat, she needed answers "That might be her" he told her

"And its not, its Serena. I have no time for this Humphrey. I need an answer" Blair said becoming unpatient

"Waldorf…oh, I'm starting to feel light headed" Dan said as he began to feel a bit woozy

"Humphrey, get on with it. Yes or no?" Blair asked

"My nose is bleeding" Dan said as he tilted his head back

"It's just blood Humphrey, what is it going to be?" Blair replied

"Do you not see my nose? You did this?" Dan said in disbelief as Blair covered her hands with the sleeves of her coat reached up to pinch his nose to help stop the bleeding

"You better not get blood on my coat, this coat costs more than everything you own. Now answer my question, yes or no?" Blair asked

"Waldorf" Dan said feeling her squeeze a tad bit too tight

"I don't have time for this, I'm taking a yes" Blair said as she let go of his nose and began to walk down the hallway just as her mini clone had made her way over towards Dan

"Waldorf, I have to tell you something" Dan said to himself in frustration that he allowed himself to be so distracted that he didn't even manage. Thinking for a moment as to what he should do, and running the thought of just letting her deal with this on her own. Dan was more than ready to go to the bathroom to tend to his bleeding nose, but his conscience that he cursed himself for having over and over in his head wouldn't allow him to. Looking around the hallway before entering into the classroom, Dan grabbed a few tissues before taking one and putting it into a wad so that he could clog his nose up to try to stop the bleeding. Standing out in the hallways still, the look alike Blair wondered what he was up to as she knew they weren't suppose to be in the classroom until the teacher came.

"For the record, learn English so you'll know who's taking advantage of you" Dan told her as he walked over to the emergency alarm "But this never happened" he said before he pulled the alarm causing a shrieking noise go off in the whole school just as he took off running down the hallway

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><p>Ever since she had been picked up from school, Blair had this overwhelming feeling from just the way that Henry was acting, that something was up. The mere fact that Henry questioned why she wanted to be taken to the sight of the photo shoot at first made her think that he was clearly having dementia issues, but the more he insisted that he was unaware that Ms. Waldorf wanted her there made her secretly begin to question what he was talking about, but she would never show that to him for pride sake. Looking out her window, she tried to pump herself up and get in the mode to where she could be simply breathtaking on film, Blair couldn't focus on her insecurities…she had to focus on taking the best picture possible for her mother's line. Getting out of the car she made her way inside the building to see that it was a full house of staff working the shoot from top to bottom as she ascended the staircase. Getting a couple of stares come her way, Blair shrugged them off and continued to make her way up to the roof top. As she approached the door she could hear Terry calling out directions of how he wanted the photo to be shot and she immediately felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Blair said to herself as she opened the door and in that instant she looked on to see Serena, once again, in the spotlight of it all. Wearing the dress that was supposed to be for her, the shoot that was supposed to be for her. Standing there in shock of it all, she just glared at Serena "You've got to be kidding me!" she said

"Fantastic! One, two, three…" Teddy told Serena as he was loving the pictures that he was capturing of the blonde bombshell before she quickly turned her attention over towards her best friend, who had just arrived. Turning to see what she was looking at or more along the lines of who, he looked back over at Eleanor in a way that made him nervous as to how she had handled things with Blair for her to show up at set

"Here, here. Blair. Come quickly! What took you so long?" Serena said excitedly as she tried to make her way past the crew to get to her friend but found that Blair was walking away from her in disbelief by it all rather than sharing her excitement "Blair. Blair, wait, where are you going ?" she then asked her friend as she made her way back down the stairwell with Serena close behind trying to figure out what was going on with her "Blair, wait, why are you so annoyed?" she asked as she grabbed onto Blair's arm

"Why am I annoyed? Are you being serious?" Blair replied at how clueless Serena could be "How I could believe a second, that this time would be different" she laughed to herself as Serena looked on in confusion. Opening up the door, Dan instantly heard the yells come from Blair and Serena. Stopping short, unaware if he wasn't suppose to interrupt, he hid behind the wall of the doorway as he listened on

"Different?" Serena asked

"You hated that the spotlight was on me for a time!" Blair yelled at her friend as she pulled away from her grip on her arm

"What you are talking about? I was told that you were coming to set and that you were going to be a little late. What, you didn't get my messages?" Serena replied

"Modeling tip number one, when you don't see the person in either hair or makeup, its not normal! The dressing room wearing only your name, you just thought it was an oversight?" Blair told her

"They told me that you were on your way, and they asked me to shoot a few shots before sunset. Blair, they said that you wanted me to do" Serena said

"And I bet you just loved it?" Blair questioned her

"I encouraged you to do this. Why would I try take this from you when I had pushed you to this?" Serena asked in return

"Because you take everything from me!" Blair yelled at her "Nate, my mother…" she went on to list

"Blair!" Serena said trying to interject

"You can't even help it, it's who you are" Blair exclaimed before she took a sigh of frustration trying to hold back the tears that were coming to her eyes "I just thought that this time, it would be different. I should have known I'd be wrong" she told her friend in a vulnerable state that showed that she truly did want to believe that Serena had changed and that they could coexist together without her feeling like the outsider in a world where she was far from that. Feeling the vulnerability in her voice, Dan thought for a moment that when he wasn't looking…Blair actually had true emotions, she had emotions that stemmed from a history between the two friends that did not inspire immediate trust, but that of jealousy and insecurities. Stepping down off the staircase, Blair made an attempt to flee the premises just wanting to get away from it all but found that option taken away when she saw Humphrey standing behind the wall as if he had been standing there the whole time "Great!" she groaned knowing that this day had just gotten worse by the presence of Dan Humphrey being there before she made her escape while all Dan could do was watch her leave. Noticing the dark haired boy, Serena knew that the source of the problem couldn't have been herself but that of someone close enough to Blair, who could have relayed the news. Storming back on to the shoot, Serena was quickly approached by Eleanor who had a look of concern on her face but for the wrong reasons.

"Here you are! Terry told me that you're…" Eleanor said in relief

"Eleanor, I resign" Serena stated to the woman as her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she heard that

"Wait a minute. Why?" Eleanor began to question

"I think that you know!" Serena replied hating the fact that she was being played in this when she was trying all she could to hold onto her best friend

"Because of Blair" Eleanor then concluded "I know that she will understand my decision when I explain it to her. You know that you love the spotlight, you always have. It is part of your charm, there is nothing wrong with that" she then said hoping that something about this day could be redeemed before Serena just found talking to Eleanor hopeless as she turned to walk away

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><p><strong>Gossip Girl: Spotted... rude awakening of a single boy. Queens of the Upper East Side were not born in the Summit. They climb the ranks in heels. Regardless of who they must walk to get there.<strong>

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><p>He had no intention of interfering between their friendship, but a part of him felt compelled to see how she was. Ninety percent of the time he had wished that his days wouldn't consume so much of her dagger like comments that only made fun of his social standing, his dad's job, or his finances in general…but he couldn't walk away for the life of him. This wasn't the part of the job that he had come to enjoy, but this was the part of himself that wasn't effected by either social class or his wants or wishes to be rid of her….this was just him doing something that he felt was right. Opening the door to the dead end hallway, he poked his head out to see that he was right about his selection as he had found the brunette sitting on the floor, sitting up against the wall as she cried. Glancing up to see that Dan was slowly closing the door behind him, she did her best to stop crying because she refused for him to see her like this. Slowly walking towards her trying to access if the fangs were out and she was just going to attack, he took his chances on the fact that she was so vulnerable at this point that they might actually be able to be civil to each other without the banter between them. Taking a seat on the ground, the two sat in silence for a bit before she looked over to see that he wasn't going to budge until she spoke.<p>

"Serena send you out her to talk to me?" Blair asked in between sniffles as he looked over at her unaware of what to tell her after all that has happened

"No, the believe it or not, I came by myself" Dan laughed to himself "I find myself trying to stop the bad that is going to happen to you or your going to inflict on someone else" he said just talking casually

"Because I'm some evil bitch with no feelings" Blair replied a little upset with his statement "Believe it or not, I do get screwed over, I just happened to get screwed over the people I'm stupid enough to trust" she said

"I've come to notice" Dan replied as the silence grew between them once more

"Normally I wouldn't be near you without a tetanus shot" Blair pointed out

"I'm pretty sure you'll get that after this conversation is over with" Dan said hanging his head down trying to remain on task of what his purpose was in trying to find her

"This is what this is…a conversation" Blair replied as Dan looked up at her

"I know that making fun of me is the easiest way for you to make yourself feel like your still better than me even though I caught you crying….but I wave my white flag, I don't want to bicker" Dan said as he pulled one of his spare tissues out to hold up in symbolism of the white flag that he had spoke of

"Now I will have to get that tetanus shot" Blair replied in disgust as she saw the tissue but realized that he was actually trying "Sorr…Get on with it Humphrey" she then sighed not wanting to grace him with an apology

"My... my mother left a few months ago. Only my... father and my sister don't really see that because she told us…that she had to go away for the summer to follow her dream of becoming an artist." Dan told her as he looked over to see if she was listening and to his surprise she actually was "But this is no longer the summer, and it she's still up there. And that's all she seems to care about right now. Everytime I go to see her, I tell myself: "this time I will tell her what I think". "This time I'm going to look her in the eye and say either come home or leave for good". So then, there I was just the other day, I was sitting at table, right in front of her, looking straight in the eyes, and…. I didn't say anything" he had told her as if her were reliving the moment over in his mind while all she could do was look at him wondering why he hadn't either

"Why not?" Blair asked to his surprise

"Uh….I don't know…. but I wish I had because even if it didn't change anything , she'd know how I felt" Dan said

"Eleanor…" Blair said before he interrupted

"Your mother. She's your mother…regardless of how you try to detach her from that role, she's still your mother and should be your mother above all else. Your not selfish for wanting that, in fact that's the one thing that we both can't buy" Dan told her

"And Serena?…" Blair asked

"I know it'd be asking a lot of you to just trust her, but on this…she's not lying to you" Dan said

"Why should I trust your word?" Blair asked him

"Because I have nothing to gain with you being hurt" Dan said "Of all the names you've called me, and the degrading comments…I'd still be sitting her…with you" he said as she just looked at him feeling the confirmation that she needed from him to know that he was being genuine

* * *

><p>She couldn't explain it but for the first time his words actually seemed to seep in with her, like she truly understood Humphrey morality talk. He was annoying and now she was actually listening to him…he had to go, she thought to herself as she walked towards her mother. To her she was Eleanor, she had been for a while now ever since her father had left. She could pretend and say that her mother's approval wasn't necessary when her love was supposed to be a given, but as time wore down and the divorce became final between her parents, she knew that nothing was given anymore, nothing was certain in this world so here she was reverted back into the girl who just wanted her mommy. She wanted to be strong like her mother and if she was ever going to be that in her life, it had to start with the one person she needed to stand up to in order to tackle at least one of the demons in her life. Huddled around the computer screens, Eleanor looked up surprised to see Blair standing there.<p>

"Should be able to resolve it. What else can we do?" Terry kept saying before Eleanor put her hand up to stop her from talking

"Blair, honey, there has been a terrible mistake. Would you like your job back?" Eleanor sighed not wanting to fight with her daughter

"You chose Serena to take my place? You could have picked a stranger, but my best friend?. You thought that I couldn't handle it, handle the fact that my own mother didn't see fit to inform me of the change?" Blair told her mother

"Can we talk about this tonight... at the dinner. There was no good decision. There was no time. I know that you can understand it. It has poorly managed... everything... from the beginning to end" Eleanor said trying to convince Blair into forgiving her "Bendels will legitimize this company. It will carry it to another level. You know how much I worked hard for it. You always were my greatest support, my greatest fan" she said

"And I'll continue to be, but when are you going to start being mine" Blair told her mother "Good luck with the line, you can now officially say that you climbed over everyone to get to the top" she said before she turned to walk away feeling a little bit better that she was able to let her mother know how she felt.

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: everyone knows that it cannot choose his family, but one can choose his friends and in a world ruled by the origins and accounts Bank, it used to have a friend.<strong>

* * *

><p>Had it been a successful day, probably not, but he was sure that there was going to be something else that would make him seriously question why he took this job. In the span of a two months, he had managed to take a job that launched him into the Upper East Side, and there hasn't been a calm day ever since he signed his name on the dotted line. Coming out of the kitchen after finishing up his snack that Darota had left behind for him, he had to admit that he did love the food here…maybe that's what kept him coming back or at least he liked to think that was a good reason when there was no reason that could come to his mind as of now. Gathering his stuff together the elevator doors opened and he could instantly hear the sound of her heels click against the floor. Not needing to tear his eyes away, he was sure that the first words out of her mouth were going to be that of an insult as she would disregard his actions of trying to save her today. Making her way over towards the sofa, she flopped down as she was finally glad to have this day be over. Surprised that she hadn't made any snide comment to him, he looked on in shock as she lay sprawled out on the sofa.<p>

"I talked to S. We're okay" Blair said as she turned to look at him "That's what you want to hear right?" she asked

"No" Dan replied "What goes on in your friendship is your business" he replied

"And the millions of people that log onto Gossip Girl" Blair shrugged

"And your mom? How'd that go?" Dan asked

"I did what you failed to do…" Blair said "I told her how I felt" she said

"In this moment I don't take that as an insult because I'm glad you were braver than me" Dan smiled

"Bravery had nothing to do with it, it was me being pissed…she'll probably chalk that up to me just complaining" Blair said

"But at least…" Dan said before she interrupted

"She'll know how I felt. Is that going to become your motto now…she'll know how I felt?" Blair asked

"Well seeing as we both have less than impressive relationships with our mothers, probably" Dan laughed as he sat on the sofa opposite of her

"I'm ashamed to admit that we have something in common" Blair said

"You shouldn't be, I'm sure that's the only thing" Dan said "How do you feel about classic cinema?" he then asked her as she shook her head

"I live and breath the classics" Blair laughed to herself "Don't say anything else because then your really going to make me question if I'm the modern version of orphan Annie" she told him as he just laughed

"The brunette version of course" Dan said

"And freckle free" Blair replied

"Seeing as I did come to your rescue today or attempted to, and covered for you in detention…we have yet to discuss our agreement for the staff" Dan said "We want fair treatment" he said

"Then stop eating up all the food and treating Darota like your personal Starbucks" Blair replied

"Perks in which I get because I'm nice…being nice can get you places" Dan told her

"Let me know where it gets you because I have yet to see you travel beyond the Brooklyn bridge" Blair laughed

"You know, one of these days Waldorf your going to like me" Dan told her

"I highly doubt that, I'd like Mariah Carey in Glitter before I like you" Blair said "I can tolerate you, I mean but that's only due to contractual reasons" she then said

"That day is coming and I will gloat to the high heavens when it does" Dan declared

"Good, you won't be far then, because you'll be in heaven when it happens" Blair said as they continued back and forth with their banter finding the other's company not as bad as they thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Gossip Girl: Looks like Brooklyn's got your back B. Guess loyalty comes from those we least expect it.<strong>

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><p><strong>Next Chapter: "Dare Devil" Dan and Serena attempt to go out on their first official date, but that plan is thwarted when Blair gets sick. In the finals stage of training, Jenny embarks upon a risky game of truth and dare in hopes of becoming one of "Girls of the Steps".<strong>

**Author's Note 2: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it took a long time to write so I'm just glad I could share it with you guys. Look for Roman Holiday to be a big chapter for Dair in this story, so a lot will be built up to there that will start to put them in new direction. Also one of things I hated that the show never did was cover Blair's Bulimia, which was an issue that I wanted to see on the show but never did, so look for the signs and how it will get figured out in the upcoming chapters. A secondary couple will emerge soon but won't take away from the story being all Dair. I hope you liked the chapter :)**


	5. Dare Devils

**Chapter Five- Dare Devils**

**_Episode Summary: Dan makes elaborate plans to impress Serena on their first official date. The same night, Jenny is invited to the infamous Blair Waldorf sleepover and finds herself in a high stakes game of "truth or dare." Meanwhile, when Lily discovers that Eric is missing from his treatment center, she finds herself seeking help from her ex-boyfriend, Rufus._**

**REMINDER!- The remade chapter consists of some concepts or events that occurred in the original, but are used in a different way to achieve Dair.**

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><p>Taking the Kleenex, she cleaned off her bathroom countertop before returning her glance to the very image of herself. She was plagued by her earlier actions, but in this moment she needed to see that perfection could exist within herself. It was as if her mind had transformed the flaws she once saw and turned them into perfection in progress that always seemed to put her at ease over what she knew was a problem. Crowing herself with her usual headband, she had now been ready to take on the day. Making her way downstairs she could hear the constant chatter from the kitchen that let her know that Humphrey had come by for his usual cup of coffee that he swore was the best in the state, but she had come to the conclusion that he was just trying to live it up and see what life as an Upper East Sider would be like. By this point she had gotten used to him being around and her schemes had been placed on hold for later days for when she really wanted to make a sport out of ruining the morally filled Humphrey. Taking her seat at the table, she was immediately served by the staff while she pulled her cell phone out to check the latest Gossip Girl updates. Thinking that she was going to enjoy a moment of peace to herself, Humphrey and Dorota quickly dispelled that notion once they made their way out of the kitchen.<p>

"That's great. I'm truly happy for you" Humphrey said before taking a sip from his cup of coffee

"It's all thanks to you Mr. Hum…I mean Daniel" Dorota replied happily while Blair looked on as if they were ruining the air that she breathed for their simple conversation "And you too Ms. Blair" she then said

"Yeah, well don't remind me about it, it only reminds me of Humphrey's pathetic groveling" Blair replied

"What was so pathetic about it?…we had an agreement" Dan proclaimed

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with it all ready" Blair replied becoming annoyed with the conversation "But don't think your leading the rally just yet….since Dorota has the weekend off, that means you assume her responsibilities" she then told him "Starting tonight" she smiled

"Why me?" Dan asked a little confused by the chain of power

"Because your managing the house, and since you failed to remember that we have no back ups for Dorota….you managed to put yourself in a position to work over time" Blair said

"Overtime? You never…you know what? I'm not even going to debate this because you can't come up with some heinous reason to make me work late. I get off at eight and I think your fully capable of taking care of yourself" Dan replied

"Ms. Blair is no problem. She usually doesn't need me around eight as well" Dorota told him

"But that still means you remain on the clock. This agreement didn't come along with instituting lazy behavior, your still expected to do your part around here" Blair said

"When have I not done my part" Dan replied "I just think your trying to create reasons for someone to be around here so you can terrorize them" he said as he took a seat before grabbing an apple

"I love how you just make yourself so comfortable" Blair said sarcastically "And for your information, I have plans tonight that will involve the littlest of the Humphrey's" she smiled devilishly that caused Dan to look on at her with much suspicion

"Why? What are you planning?" Dan asked suspiciously

"I don't have to do anything, Jenny on the other hand is a different story" Blair replied

"Okay, skip the cryptic speech, what are you planning? You better not try using my sister to get back at me" Dan told her

"Are those threats?" Blair smiled as Dorota just shook her head at the two "Dorota, the notebook please" she told Dorota before Dorota then turned to put the pink notebook down on the table that made a loud thump on the table

"This here, are the tons of freshmen who have vied to be like…well, like me" Blair said as smiled on at the notebook

"God help us all" Dan said to himself as he looked at Blair still trying to figure out what she was getting at

"Out of these numerous contenders they have dwindled down into twelve girls. Thos twelve girls are soon cut down to five, in which two will be able to become prominent members of having lunch with on the steps of the Met" Blair explained

"So all of that just to have lunch on some steps. Excuse me if I don't understand what is so special about that" Dan replied

"Of course you wouldn't, which is not surprising since your idea of prominent is being able to afford a combo at your local burger joint" Blair replied "I have you know that it's no easy feat to become one of those girls" she said

"Oh, yes…because its such a prize to eat on some steps that you can find all over New York. I seriously don't know why Jenny even entertains the thought of becoming like…" Dan said before she quickly interrupted

"Careful Humphrey, I hear a little green monster seeping through" Blair smiled

"As long as you don't make Jenny do anything stupid then you won't have problems with me" Dan said

"Like I care. She knew what she signed up for, I can't show favorites…if anything you should be happy that I haven't taken my frustrations with you out on her" Blair said

"Excuse me if I forgot to thank you" Dan said

"Your welcome" Blair quickly replied

"I didn't say it, I just meant that as…" Dan said before she interrupted

"You still said it, so point and match to me" Blair replied before she pushed her plate forward

"Mr. Daniel is planning to take on extra curricular activities himself" Dorota smiled

"All of which will probably deal with the plight of the lower tax bracket, I presume" Blair said as she got up from her seat while Dorota came over to put her coat on for her

"No, I'm afraid that is not how I will being choosing to spend my time, though my solution to your suggestion would be to tax the rich" Dan said

"Figures you'd be so liberal" Blair scoffed

"I'm going out for the soccer team" Dan said as Dorota clapped happily for him

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to be happy?" Blair questioned

"I would never expect such a thing" Dan said as he got up from his seat before he trailed behind Blair to the elevator "You wanna walk to school together?" he teased her

"Walking is for the common" Blair stated as they continued to wait for the elevator doors to open "Henry will be driving me to school" she said

"But we're basically leaving at the same time" Dan laughed "We might as well walk together. I'm sure your Jimmy Choos can manage a little seven minute walk" he said

"That's what you think" Blair replied

"I do think that, I know that" Dan said before the elevator doors open. Taking her foot she quickly stomped down on his foot causing him to hunch over in pain so that allowed her to walk forward to board the elevator.

"Now, we're not leaving at the same time" Blair smiled before she slipped her dark shades on her face just as the elevator doors closed on her

* * *

><p>Standing in line as if they were standing at attention for the commanding officer, Jenny looked on at her fellow freshmen that vied for the same position as she was. Hearing the footsteps of a familiar Jimmy Choo's, the girls immediately perked up so that they were at high energy when Blair and her crew arrived. Taking a seat on the benches while they looked on and critiqued the girls, Jenny couldn't help but look on at her watch to see if she had enough time to make it to her study session with Eric. They made it no secret that they liked or disapproved of what any of the girls were wearing as most of their comments were loud and daggers to the heart. Getting up from her seat, Blair walked down the line inspecting a bit closer to see the girls. For a moment she paid extra attention to Jenny, which made the freshmen a bit uncomfortable knowing that Blair Waldorf was full on critiquing her from head to toe. Her mind was soon put to rest once Blair turned back to join Katy, Isobel, and the rest of their crew.<p>

"As you know, our final judgment will be reached this weekend on the two girls that will be lucky enough to eat with my friends and I" Blair said in a commanding tone

"You've made it this far, so I'd get rid of the notion that it gets easier from here on out quickly for your own sake" Katy stated

"If you are weak, we will find you" Blair said as she looked on to see Jenny taking a glimpse at her watch "Are you taking you from something? Because clearly you have other pressing things to do" she said

"No, I….I just have a study session for class" Jenny replied nervously

"You study" Isobel laughed as Blair slowly approached Jenny

"No one is forcing you to be here" Blair told her "Either you go…study or you stay? What's it going to be?" she asked as Jenny sighed

"I want to be here" Jenny replied just as Serena walked over to join the girls

"Hey B" Serena said as she looked on to see the whole army vibe "What am I interrupting?" she questioned before Blair turned to greet her

"Just my future minions" Blair smiled

"Oh, glad to know people actually audition for that" Serena said

"So I checked with Lilly, and you have yet to RSVP, what's with the wait?" Blair asked her friend

"That's the thing…I won't be able to make it tonight" Serena told her

"Why not? S, this is my annual tradition…hence the annual part in the invitations" Blair said

"I know, but I'm planning to ask Dan out tonight" Serena said

"Your dumping me for Humphrey" Blair said in disbelief "You've officially let me down" she stated

"B, don't be that way" Serena laughed at her friends dramatic actions

"Your ditching my annual sleepover to be with Humphrey, that's dramatic on its own without the actions" Blair replied "Take him to the cafeteria and pay for his meal…that'd be a date to him" she said

"I'd at least think you would have warmed up to him by now seeing as he does work for you" Serena said

"I've warmed up to the fact that Target is considered high end fashion to some, doesn't mean I accept it" Blair replied

"Well you'll have fun regardless without me, I'm sure of it" Serena said

"Where are you planning to take Humpty Humphrey?" Blair asked

"To this pool hall he told me about" Serena smiled

"Of course Humphrey would see a pool hall as the place to be. S, look, don't you think you should bring him to your turf, you know show him that super size it is not part of everyone's vocabulary" Blair suggested

"What do you suggest?" Serena asked

"That new French restaurant. I hear its made the top restaurant list in New York" Blair smiled happily

"But its so French…he might be a little out of his comfort" Serena said

"No he won't. He'll nervously look at the menu, give a couple squints that will make you think he's got turrets, then he'll make some lame joke about the only thing that looks good to him is the French fries" Blair told her

"And in what part in that scenario was he comfortable?" Serena asked

"The part where he made the lame French fry joke. Look, there is no need to hide who you really are so why try" Blair said "Wine and dine him, just pre pay" she said

"I think I still like my idea better" Serena said

"Okay, well do what you want because I have more important things to worry about than you wooing Humphrey" Blair said

"Like your minions" Serena laughed "Well have fun, and wish me luck" she said before she walked off to her class just as Isobel and Katy rushed to Blair's side

"Serena isn't coming" Katy and Isobel said

"Clearly you've eavesdropped on my private conversation, and yes, she isn't coming" Blair replied as she looked over Jenny, who was once again peeking at her watch, that caused her to have an idea "But I do have something else in mind" she smiled as she walked over towards Jenny leaving Isobel and Katy confused "Humphrey!" she said causing Jenny to jump

"I'm sorry" Jenny quickly apologized

"Tonight. Sleepover, be there" Blair told her

"Oh, tonight I have…" Jenny said before Blair interrupted her

"It wasn't an option. Be there" Blair replied "Got it?" she asked

"Yeah, I got it" Jenny replied as she heard the hacking coughs of a boy that looked deathly sick as he made his way through the parting crowd. Jenny couldn't help but scrunch her face in disgust at the horrid sounds he was making, putting all her attention on the boy she had completely lost sight of the fact that as Blair began to turn he was gearing up to let loose a nasty sneeze. In perfect timing, Blair walked right in the mist of germs before she stood in complete horror by what happened. "Just go. Go" she told the boy as he didn't know whether to apologize or run in horror

"I'm…" The boy managed to say

"Go" Jenny said before he obliged her instructions "Are you okay?" she asked as Blair slowly began to hyperventilate

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><p>Chasing after the ball, Dan found his final wind as he exerted as much force as he possibly could to left off the final kick that would enable his team to win as it was nothing but net. Giving himself a silent celebration, he was quickly joined by Carter, who didn't seem to be shy about him scoring the winning goal that the coaches were definitely taking notice of. Dan only hoped that he had done enough to truly impress the coaches so that he would make the team and use his p.e. time to go to practice instead of the daunting task of just walking the track. Making their way into the locker room, Dan and Carter wiped the sweat off their faces before Serena made her way over towards them. Unsure if he was seeing a mirage, Dan rubbed his eyes once more to see that it was really Serena coming towards him. Caught a little off guard to see Serena since their last conversation was mostly through text messages that they would send back and forth, but mostly Dan had given up hope that she would be this eager to see him.<p>

"Good practice out there" Carter told Dan "Serena" he greeted the blond before making his way into the locker room

"Hey" Dan smiled "You make a habit of being in the boys hall and now around the locker room, I'm not sure I know what to make of you" he joked

"Yeah, I'm sure. If you need help than you can just read Gossip Girl" Serena laughed "I was actually looking for you though" she said

"Oh, why?" Dan asked "Not that I don't like you looking for me" he then added "Does it have anything to do with your egotistical best friend and her plans for my sister?" he asked her as she just laughed

"I see you've heard about the freshmen intake….I have no idea where she comes up with these names" Serena laughed

"I saw the notebook. She actually took pride in showing me, so that was a little scary" Dan replied

"A notebook, wow!…..well I don't think she would do anything that drastic. Its just girl stuff" Serena tried to reassure him

"That still doesn't make me feel any better" Dan laughed

"Jenny strikes me as a wise person, so I think if it becomes too much then she's smart enough to walk away" Serena said

"I don't know these days. I mean I think she's blinded by all the Upper East Sideness…and Waldorf flaunts it so much that its like a carrot dangling in front of her" Dan said

"Look, if it will make you feel any better, I will tell Eric to look out for her tonight" Serena said

"It helps" Dan smiled "So what did you want to talk to me about? Or are you just stalking me now?" he teased

"I wanted to ask you out, again" Serena said "I know our previous times weren't so successful, but I have made an iron clad plan that will ensure that we do have our first official date" she smiled

"So is this a guarantee then?" Dan asked

"I sure hope so" Serena smiled "So how about it? Will you go out with me again?" she asked

"Yeah, that sounds good" Dan smiled

"Great" Serena smiled

"I would hug you or shake your hand for confirmation of it, but I smell" Dan said

"We can confirm it with a nod then" Serena laughed as they both just nodded at each other "Is eight good for you?" she asked

"Eight is great" Dan replied

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><p>He was a bit overjoyed at the fact that he would get another shot with going out with Serena, so much so that he actually started to believe that maybe this was really going to happen between them. Carter had thought that he would have to pull out all the stops to impress a girl like Serena, but he didn't worry too much. His joy throughout the day had soon come to a halt when he had heard news that Blair suffered a horrid sneeze in the courtyard by a boy that was sick beyond belief, at first he laughed it off and just thought it was karma coming back around to her. His laughter then faded yet again when he had stepped off the elevator to see a doctor coming down the staircase, while Dorota waited anxiously at the bottom of the steps. A bit surprised to see Dorota, Dan rushed over to see what exactly was going on just as the doctor came to talk to them. It the time period in which Blair had been sneezed upon she had managed to contract a fever. In his head he could curse the brunette for being so evil that she'd easily pick a illness just to sabotage his date with Serena tonight. Shaking his head in disbelief he wanted to believe that this was all one big joke. Racing up the staircase and into her room, he could quickly see that she was playing the part of the ill patient very well as wads of tissues surrounded her as her face looked all blotchy.<p>

"What the hell happened?" Dan asked as he took in the sight even more so

"What do you think happened? I'm sick you idiot" Blair replied still snippy more than ever

"I can see that. Why did you bump into someone that was sick?" Dan asked

"Because I felt like being sick so I said why don't I bump into the walking plague" Blair replied "Instead of asking so many questions, why don't you collect all this crap on my bed and make my soup" she told him

"Wait, what?" Dan asked

"Dorota is off for the day, your covering for her" Blair replied

"I can't…" Dan said as she immediately sat up in her bed

"What do you mean you can't! Humphrey this is your job, you wanted equality for all well your two feet need to take one step a piece down the steps to get me my soup" Blair said more congested than ever

"Okay, I get that….look, all you need to do is have a little rest. The doctor said rest, so you should stop yelling at me and just go to sleep. Take a little medicine and just sleep that way when you wake up you will feel so much better" Dan told her

"Or, I could have my soup along with my tea at every hour…that sounds like a plan to me, and this isn't up for discussion!" Blair yelled at him before she busted into a fit of coughs

"Calm down" Dan said trying to ease her before he walked over to hand her the glass of water by her bedside

"Then stop being so difficult" Blair groaned at him as she pulled away from his touch "Don't touch me Humphrey!" she said before letting out yet another cough that sounded worse by the minute

"If I have to serve you and all of that, don't you think I'll get sick as well?" Dan asked

"Do I look like I care about your immune system?" Blair replied as the buzzing alert of the intercom speaker in her room went off "What!" she shouted

"Ms. Isobel and Katy are here to see you" The voice said

"Send them up" Blair replied

"What do you mean send them up? Your sick!….you can't have guests and be sick" Dan replied

"Says who?…I really don't understand why I have to explain myself to you Humphrey. You work for me, and you need to remember that" Blair replied "Now go and get my soup" she said pulling the covers further up on her

"I have a date tonight" Dan blurted

"Your personal life is of no concern to me" Blair replied becoming annoyed with him "My concern is when I'm going to get my soup" she once again requested before she began to sneeze

"It's with Serena" Dan said "So this isn't about me, this about your best friend" he tried to reason

"I still don't care. You chose to cover Dorota's shift today" Blair stated just as Isobel and Katy came in

"Oh, my God. Are you dying?" Isobel asked as Blair looked at her like she was an idiot

"No!" Blair replied "Do you have what I requested?" she then asked

"Wait, what are you doing? Your sick and you want to do this" Dan questioned

"It's moments like this where I can understand murder as a justifiable option" Blair glared at him

"And its moments like this where I understand why Nate steers clear" Dan replied not backing down one bit as the two just glared at each other before Blair reached over to grab her phone. Looking on at the girl with a bit confusion while she just hit the call button her cell phone to put up to her ear. Dan found himself wondering what she was up to as was Isobel and Katy, who were just confused as ever as to why Dan Humphrey was in her room

"Eleanor Waldorf please…." Blair said before Dan made a quick sprint over to her bed side

"What are you doing?" Dan asked as he tried to grab the phone

"Calling your boss to have you fired, and I think I have grounds this time" Blair replied

"You wouldn't?" Dan said as he continued to try to grab the phone

"Does any part of me look like I'm playing!" Blair yelled "My nose is stopped up. I'm sweating like a pig. My head feels like its about to explode and I have to deal with the saga of your personal life….I don't care, just do your job" she told him

"Will you hang up the phone?" Dan asked

"Get my soup" Blair replied

"Fine" Dan said as he slowly backed away from her bed before she ended the phone call

"You may go now" Blair replied becoming agitated with his presence as he slowly walked out of the room

"Dan Humphrey works for you, how did that happen?" Katy asked

"Eleanor felt the need to be charitable, now lets get this over with before I start to throw up" Blair groaned as she laid back on her pillows

"It's such a drag that you got sick, I was looking forward to spending the night in your penthouse…the renovations you had done are impeccable" Isobel smiled

"I'm sorry that my illness has taken away form your tour of my house" Blair replied sarcastically "I want you to really focus on exposing them. We need to know every little thing about these girls for future reasons" she then stated

"Sort of like stored away blackmail material?" Katy asked

"Exactly, but don't make it so obvious. Get them drunk and have them start talking…something creative" Blair said

"And Jenny? What do we do with her?" Katy asked

"Wait, isn't that Dan's sister?" Isobel asked

"Yes" Blair said as she began to fan herself feeling hotter than ever

"So are you seeking a special type of revenge on her? You know for Dan's annoying behavior" Katy asked

"Just focus on the main tasks, and do as we discussed when it comes to Jenny. Let me worry about my intentions for her" Blair replied

"If we do what we discussed then I'm pretty sure Humpty Humphrey won't like it" Katy laughed

"She knew what she signed up for" Blair replied "Do it" she then stated as she looked over at the door to be sure that Dan wasn't around

"Then tonight should be epic, and if Humphrey doesn't follow through then this will be the tainting of the innocence like you proclaimed" Isobel smiled

"She won't. There is no way Humphrey will pull this off" Blair replied as she looked on at a picture of Serena and her when they were just freshmen hanging up on her mirror "I never did" she said

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><p>It was a complete curveball but justifiable that Blair had fallen sick after her fatal run in with germs head on, but Jenny knew that the absence of the queen would not all of sudden make things easier for her. For the beginning of the evening, the girls were taken to a bar that Jenny was almost sure that they were going to get carded as soon as they made it to the front, but apparently Isobel had a very strange relationship with the owner that allowed them access. The first thing that they were made to do was drink a line of shots, for the most part Jenny had saw this as a way to get the girls to loosen up and make them a little more loose lipped than they had intended to be, but she knew if she was going to survive she'd have to control her liquor pretty well. It was her first time ever drinking and when she took her first sip, she knew that she couldn't foresee herself ever doing so again as she began to understand why the Indians called it fire water. Luckily for the young girl, Isobel and Katy had managed to distract themselves with shameless flirting while the other girls were barely surviving in downing their shots, which allowed Jenny to sneak away into the restroom to make a phone call.<p>

"What a surprise, your actually alive" Eric answered his phone

"I'm sorry. I tried to text you today but I haven't got a moment alone" Jenny replied

"And what do you call this moment?" Eric asked

"A moment snuck away" Jenny said hoping that he would see the effort she had put in "Besides your smart, I would have slowed you down in the studying department" she tried to reason

"That's not the point, but you get points for the sneaking" Eric said as he gave a slight laugh to her which let her know that he wasn't completely upset with her "What are you being forced to do now?" he asked

"We're doing shots" Jenny replied

"Shots" Eric laughed "That's obvious, they're trying to making you loose with the lips" he said

"I know. I've manage to pour my drinks into a plant since Isobel and Katy have strangely become attracted to each other and give each other random kisses…are they?…" Jenny asked

"No, they just…they really drunk horny" Eric said

"Figures. What are you doing?" Jenny asked

"I am…reading message boards" Eric said

"Oh, that sounds….interesting" Jenny replied "For someone who is Serena van der Woodsen's brother, you lead a very low key life" she said

"I like my low keyness, I find reading what people think about television shows very stimulating and quite hilarious when a ship war ensues" Eric replied

"Yeah, well your lucky you don't have to worry about what is next" Jenny said "I managed to handle this but who knows what Blair has planned next for us" she said

"Well nothing about what they do strays from tradition" Eric said

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked

"Serena and Blair did the same thing when they were freshmen. I believe it was Connie Hilfiger who was the then queen bee" Eric said

"Connie Hilfiger, I've heard about her, she's married to Ben Channing, who's practically a mogul in the making" Jenny said

"Yes, its amazing how much you know about high society" Eric laughed to himself "Well Connie had them do stuff that was borderline illegal, I remember my mom was so upset with Serena for the trouble she got in that night" he said

"What kind of trouble did she get in?" Jenny asked

"Serena never said, mostly because she was hardly around, but it was enough to upset both Eleanor and my mother" Eric said

"But look at them now, clearly it was well worth it due to their status now" Jenny said

"Not really? I mean why should be initiated into a friendship basically or even the steps. People are supposed to meet, find something that they have in common and become friends…not make each other do crazy tasks to prove loyalty" Eric said

"Easier for a guy to say" Jenny said as she peeked out to see the girls were gathering

"No, easier for a sane person to say" Eric replied as Jenny made her way out of the bathroom

"Okay, well I'd love to debate on the differences on how genders become friends, but I have to go" Jenny said

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Eric asked

"Maybe, I have to see how this goes" Jenny said "I'll call you though" she said before she hung up the phone once Isobel had turned her attention over to Jenny

"Where'd you go?" Isobel asked as she walked up towards Jenny

"I…I had to use the restroom" Jenny replied nervously as the girls began to gather behind Isobel and Katy

"Are you sure?" Katy asked

"About going to the restroom?" Jenny asked finding that question a bit odd

"No, about…never mind. You've been selected" Katy smiled

"For?" Jenny asked

"For your dare" Katy said

"But I wasn't here to choose truth or dare" Jenny said

"We only do dare's, now are you ready?" Isobel said

"I guess" Jenny smiled weakly "What do I have to do?" she asked as Isobel and Katy turned to smile at each other while Jenny hoped that they wouldn't have another makeout session with each other

"Something very special" Isobel smiled before she dangled a set of keys in front of Jenny

* * *

><p>Hearing the daunting sounds of Waldorf nearly coughing up a lung from upstairs in her room, Dan came out of the kitchen with yet his third tray of tea seeing no end in sight for the evening. Putting the tray down on the table, he looked on at his watch to check the time and could see that he was supposed to meet Serena in an two hours. With Blair sounding as bad as she did, he could only hope that something would work and knock her out long enough so that he could at least experience what it was to go out on a date with Serena. No, he had to be determined and realize that he had to will Waldorf to good health in order to do so. Pulling his cell phone out, he dialed up Serena and hoped that she wasn't on her way to the pool hall that they had agreed to meet at. It took a few rings before Serena had finally picked up her phone.<p>

"Dan, hey. I might be running a little late but not by that much" Serena said

"Wait, I actually called to let you know that I need to push it back to nine" Dan told her

"Oh, okay…that's a lot better" Serena replied "Why? What's up?" she asked

"Blair, she's sick and Dorota is off for the night. My big mouth lobbied for the staff to get better treatment, and so Dorota got the weekend off to be with her family…leaving me to take over her responsibilities" Dan babbled

"Wow, a lot goes on over at the Waldorf penthouse" Serena laughed "Is B okay?" she asked

"Yes, just dramatic as ever, but I'm determined to meet you so give me until nine" Dan said

"Your very hopeful, when B gets sick its…pretty bad" Serena laughed

"It can't be that bad" Dan shrugged

"I like your determination, you'll need a lot of them to survive B" Serena smiled "Well give B my love, and I'll see you soon" she said before she hung up the phone. Picking up the tray once more, Dan looked upstairs ready to take on the challenge that was Blair Waldorf

_**These days when I see you**_

_**You make it look like I'm see-through**_

_**Do tell me why you waste our time**_

_**When your heart ain't admitting you're not satisfied**_

_**You know I know just how you feelI'm starting to find myself feeling that way too**_

Entering into the room, Dan looked on with a contorted face as each time he had entered Blair looked worse each time. Pulling the shades off her eyes, she glared on at Humphrey as he put the tray down on the bed. Leaning forward she looked down at the hot remedy finding it a bit off of the way that Dorota usually made it, but with Humphrey she'd expect everything to be sub par. Letting out a deep sigh, Dan stood back in hopes that the tea was to her liking as she had dismissed his earlier trays saying that it was not the correct one to begin with when he was almost certain that it was since they only had two types of tea in the house. Taking a sip of her tea while Dan whipped out her napkin, Blair quickly turned to spit out the liquid and found that Dan had become her landing pad. With her actions he could tell that it was not to her liking, and he just simply cleaned himself off with the napkin before gathering the tray again while she pulled the shades over her eyes and laid back in her bed. His first attempt had failed but he was determined to try something else that would make her feel better.

_**When you grace me with your cold shoulder**_

_**Whenever you look at me I wish I was her**_

_**You shower me with words made of knives**_

_**Whenever you look at me I wish I was her**_

Bending over, Dan plugged in the last of the humidifiers in hopes of clearing up the germ filled air that she was breathing in. Folding her arms, she looked on to see how Humphrey's bright idea was going to translate into her feeling better when his very presence was causing her to feel more irritated than she should be at the moment for someone as sick as her. Running his hand through his hair as he looked on at the clock to see that he only had a hour left until he was suppose to meet up with Serena. Not wanting to plague himself with doubts, he grabbed the instructions to the machinery as they weren't the typical humidifiers he was use to. After about five minutes worth of reading, he had gotten about the jist of what he was supposed to do to get the humidifiers up and running. Looking on at the sevene humidifiers that were spaced out around the room, he looked back to see Waldorf visually imaging herself throwing daggers at him, which only made the moment more tense between the two. Grabbing the container of water that he was suppose to fill each humidifier with, he went to his first one and poured the prescribed amount in before he saw the vapor coming out. A slight smile came to his face finding a little bit light at the end of the tunnel before he went on to the next one. Pouring the same amount, he went on to the next one to do the same until he heard a sparking sound come from the second humidifier.

"Crap!" Humphrey declared as Blair sat up quickly in the bed to see that water had dripped down the wall onto the outlet cauing a mini fire to emerge

"Put it out you idiot!" Blair yelled as he scanned the room hoping to find something to put it out with before Blair whacked him with a pillow. Trying to dodge her hits as well as think of something that would require him using any of her stuff, Dan quickly relieved himself of his shirt and began to fan the mini fire

"Aw" Dan groaned as he tried to avoid the fire before he was finally able to put it out. Kneeling down he picked up his shirt to see that what was once a grey shirt was now a mixture of brown. Looking back at Blair, he was immediately met with a pillow whacking him in the face. Grabbing the pillow as it was coming in for another whack, he threw the pillow to the side before he glared at the brunette then turned to leave the room. Pulling out his cell phone, he typed in 'how to make home made herbal tonic' in his google search engine as he walked down the stairs towards the kitchen. Reading the description, he soon turned from his path to the kitchen and walked over to the liquor cabinet.

_**Time and time again, I play the role of fool (Just for you)**_

_**Even in the daylight when you came(I see you)**_

_**Try to look for things I hear but our eyes never find**_

_**'Though I do know how you play**_

Looking back at the cup that had caused this, Dan shook his head feeling even more stupid for coming up with the idea. Holding her hair back, Blair leaned over the toilet and continued to throw up the concoction that Humphrey had brought to her. Rubbing her back nervously, he hoped that she was feeling better but knew that he was going to get it once she finished. Once she stopped throwing up, she looked over at him with the darkest of glares, which made him immediately rise to his feet so he could discard of the evidence that would give her the proof she needed to actually have him fired. Rushing down the stairs with the cup in hand, he looked on at the open whisky bottle before he picked it up and took a swig himself. Looking back at the clock he saw that he had only thirty minutes left.

_**You grace me with your cold shoulder**_

_**Whenever you look at me I wish I was her**_

_**You shower me with words made of knives**_

_**Whenever you look at me I wish I was her**_

Sifting through her drawer in the bathroom, Dan hoped that he could find some sort of medicine that she could take that would at least make her sleepy while taking on all the other symptoms she had, but basically something that would knock her out so he could meet up with Serena. Holding up a tube that read ipecac syrup, nothing seemed to register to him as to what this would cure but found himself staring on at it quizzically before he put it back. Hearing her groans come from within her bedroom, he continued on with his search before he finally found a bottle of robustussin. Immediately rising to his feet, he went back into the room to see that her bed had been flooded with wadded up tissue while she looked to add to the mixture as she blew her nose into another tissue. Pulling the tissue away he could see the puffiness of her cheeks along with the redness of her cheeks. Looking over to see that he held a cap full of robotizing in hand, she immediately shook her head in disgust not wanting anymore of his remedies. Walking closer to her bed with the cap in hand, Dan looked at her hoping that she would oblige and drink it. Showing the bottle so that she'd feel a bit comfortable knowing that this wasn't a home made remedy that he had concocted. Blair continued to shake her head not wanting to taste the tasteless liquid. Seeing that she fanning herself trying not to sneeze, he saw this as his opportunity. Unable to control her sneeze, she let out a sneeze and through the mist he reached out and with the slight opening of her mouth he managed to pour the liquid in her mouth. Her face scrunched up with the disgust as she regretfully swallowed the liquid, while Dan reached over to grab a napkin to clean the mist of spit she had sprayed him with.

* * *

><p>Finally asleep, Dan looked on at the brunette who had caused him a tiresome night, in which was a constant struggle. Closing the door behind him as he left her room, Dan pulled out his phone to see that it was now ten o'clock and any chance he had of meeting up with Serena was probably dwindling away. Opening up his text messages, he had to admit that there was no hope because he was certain that by the time he went home to get a shirt and then come all the way back to meet her time would just pass by. Sending off the text that said how sorry he was, and how he would be unable to meet her, Dan sighed as he walked back into the kitchen. Hanging his head down feeling the full on effects of how tired he was, Dan soon pulled his phone out and dialed up a person he had hoped would know what to do in this situation.<p>

"Yes, Daniel" Eleanor answered her phone

"How'd you know it was me" Dan replied

"It's a wonderful things called caller identification. What do you want? I have work to do" Eleanor said

"It's Blair. She's uh…she's sick and I've managed, but she's still sick" Dan sighed

"And where is Dorota?" Eleanor asked

"I'm covering for her. Look, I'm sorry to disturb you but I just really need help…I've tried and failed at everything tonight and I just need help" Dan said

"Whining is not becoming of you Daniel" Eleanor said

"It is when you've reached your end. Your daughter is the most difficult person and that's without being sick" Dan replied as Eleanor just laughed

"So you thought by calling her mother that I'd be able to solve your questions" Eleanor said

"Well yeah, with you being her mother" Dan replied

"It's been a long time since I've had to nurse Blair back to good health…Dorota always did so, she did so that Blair relied on her most of the time" Eleanor said as she dropped her pen to think over the memories

"I'm sure you know a few tid bits, mother's always know" Dan said

"Chicken soup" Eleanor said after a moment of silence came between them "Put just a bit of noodles, but its chicken soup" she said

"And what medicine, the doctor prescribed something but its not working" Dan said

"Sudafed, but seeing as you've probably given her something, just let her sleep but when morning comes, give her two tablets…make sure it's the blue purplish color because she always thought they were grape flavored" Eleanor said

"Thank you" Dan said

"No problem" Eleanor smiled

"I know that you may think that she prefers Dorota when she's sick, but I think in general she prefers you" Dan said "But that's just my observations" he said

"And just what exactly have you observed?" Eleanor asked

"Nothing that I'm sure your not all ready aware of" Dan said "I think, no I know that she tries to be just like you" he told her

"Well maybe your observations are correct" Eleanor replied knowing that Dan knew more than he wanted to say but tried to remain in line

"I should go check on her" Dan then stated

"Yeah, you should" Eleanor smiled before they ended the phone call

* * *

><p>The hallways were darker than she had ever known them to be, but then again she wasn't suppose to be walking the halls of Constance this late in the night. Her dare or she would call her doom was to go in and steal the Junior Profiency Exam and if she had completed the task she was pretty much guaranteed a spot as one of the Girls of the Steps. In her mind it seemed like a mission impossible mission, where she would go in suspended through the roof and with ease would retrieve the exam, but in her reality she knew it'd be more difficult with that. Cautiously walking closer to her desired destination, Jenny looked back to see that she wasn't joined along with her buddies and was truly alone. Reaching the door to the office, she opened the door with the key she was given. Hearing footsteps, Jenny ducked down feeling her heart beat at a million hours per hour. Seeing the flashlight shine into the office, she saw her end coming and she had no idea as to what she should do. Leaning up against a file cabinet, she felt the vibration of her cell phone and she had hoped and prayed that the security guard hadn't heard her. Grabbing the phone to see it was a text message. Jenny read her message.<p>

**Katy: Gt 2 go. Good lck J**

* * *

><p>Hearing the daunting sounds of Moon River begin to play in the backround, his eyes began to flutter open as he had found himself resting comfortably on the sofa. Sitting up slowly, he saw that Blair had come down to join him in the living room area. She stilled seemed a bit stuffy and congested but was a bit better then what she was earlier in the night. Looking over at the clock he saw that it was midnight while she pulled the blanket closer to her body. Glancing over at the television screen at the movie that was beginning to play, he found it a bit surprising that she was a fan of the great Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's to be exact. Taking his legs, she threw them down onto the floor so that she could bring hers up and for the most party he would have been upset by the gesture but it only showed sign that she was well on her way to getting better. Sitting up in his seat, he found himself a bit excited to see the movie because he was a love of the classics but he was still a bit confused as to why she had chosen to come down to join him.<p>

"Breakfast at Tiffany's, it figures you'd like this" Dan sighed

"What closed minded opinion makes you come to that?" Blair asked

"Holly Golightly is you. She is you in film version" Dan said

"I'd take that as insult but I happen to love the character, so I won't" Blair said

"You ruined my date tonight, hell you ruined my night" Dan told her

"This is your job Humphrey, stop acting like I'm forcing you to be here" Blair replied "You could have left while I was asleep, but yet your still here…so don't blame anything on me" she told him

"Sadly enough I know that I can't blame it on you" Dan said

"The chicken noodle soup did help though, that was the first item you gave me that didn't make me want to puke" Blair said

"Can't take credit for it though" Dan replied

"Why?" Blair asked

"Because it was your mother's idea, just like I should give you a Sudafed in about five hours" Dan said as Blair seemed surprised to know that Eleanor had suggested the idea

"You talked to my mother?" Blair asked

"Yeah, I was desperate. I thought of calling Dorota but I didn't want to disturb her…" Dan said

"So you just disturb Eleanor Waldorf" Blair said

"No, I disturbed your mother….she told me to give you chicken noodle soup with a few noodles. Then to give you the blue purplish Sudafed because…" Dan said before she interrupted

"Because they taste like grape" Blair said as smile slowly came to her

"Wow, your actually showing human emotion" Dan said as he noticed the smile on her face "Your mom is well in tune with you" he said

"That's surprising" Blair shrugged

"You know maybe you two should stop putting down the idea that you two may actually need each other, then maybe it won't be so surprising when the other does something that can make or destroy the others day" Dan replied

"Spare me the lecture Humphrey" Blair sighed

"I'm just saying" Dan said

"Your making me miss my favorite parts of the movie" Blair said as she got up to restart the movie before heading back over to the sofa

"I'm sorry about the comment I made about Nate. I know that you two are going through something, and I shouldn't have taken it there" Dan said as she looked at him

"You were spot on. My boyfriend is off and about with Chuck, while I faced near death…you were right" Blair said

"Do you love him?" Dan asked

"It doesn't matter" Blair replied

"It does, it matter a lot" Dan said "Because if you do love him then you should at least try" he said

"Do your notions of love always come from the silver screen?" Blair asked

"Sometimes" Dan laughed

"I'm not sure I can trust him" Blair said "I love him, but I question if he loves me…that's not a recipe of a lasting relationship" she sighed

"No, no its not a lasting relationship" Dan said "But I think…" he said before she laughed to herself

"Of course you always do" Blair commented

"I think that two people who clearly have a long history owe it to each other to be honest and see just where things stand instead of pretending like one day its going to get better" Dan told her

"Your clearly laying it on thick, you scared Serena still might have eyes for Nate?" Blair asked feeling like he had motive behind his words

"I could care less, I mean I do like Serena but if she likes Nate then so be it, I'm not going to allow myself to get used in the process" Dan said

"Oh, but your were just so pressed to get to your date with her" Blair said

"Look its just a date, and clearly its not meant to be because I'm here with you" Dan sighed

"You wouldn't make it with a girl like her" Blair said

"And why is that? Because I'm not of her class?" Dan asked

"Because you strike me as the guy who wants that unrequited love that will last a lifetime. You strike me as a guy that believes in the fairytales" Blair told him

"And she doesn't?" Dan asked

"It's too big of a guess to say if she does or doesn't" Blair replied

"And what about you? What type of girl are you?" Dan asked "Do you believe in unrequited love?" he asked

"In this world Humphrey, I'll be lucky if I'll even fall in love" Blair said as Dan just looked upon her as if he had heard the saddest bit of news. What type of person believes that love doesn't exist? He thought to himself. Getting up from his spot on the sofa, he went over to restart the movie before he turn to meet her eyes "What did you do that for?" she asked

"I missed the beginning" Dan replied as he sat back down on the sofa trying to get himself comfortable "You talk a lot Waldorf" he said as he tried to get a piece of the blanket to cover himself but she held on as tight as possible "Share Waldorf" he told her as they wrestled with the blanket

"I'm the one who is sick" Blair replied as she continued with her wrestling match with Humphrey over the blanket

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" Dan replied as she finally gave in and gave him a portion of the blanket

* * *

><p>Clenching on tight to his jacket as the two made their way up to his penthouse, Jenny couldn't seem to find the words to say to her friend without him coming back with an I told you so retaliation. Opening the door for her, she almost expected to see his mother but his mother was nowhere to be found. The living area of the penthouse had been cluttered with dresses that appeared to be delivered by the big name designers in New York, all of which seemed to be normal to him as he gathered the dresses to put off to the side so that they could sit down. Taking her seat, he leaned forward to grab his lap top as he began to look on at the message boards. Unsure as to what she should even say at this point, Jenny looked at him nervously as she could tell that he was clearly upset with her but she was unsure as to why. Getting up from her seat on the sofa, she took off his coat before laying it on the arm of the sofa as she looked on at the pictures of the family at many social events over the years.<p>

"Your dad's name is William?" Jenny turned to ask him as she pointed at the plaque up on the shelf

"Yeah" Eric replied as any hope that Jenny had on that being a conversation starter had come to a screeching halt

"Are you mad at me?" Jenny asked

"No, mad would not be the word" Eric replied still looking on at his computer

"Then what? You haven't said a word to me ever since you came to the school" Jenny said

"I'm afraid that my words will go in and go out" Eric replied

"Stop, don't be that way" Jenny told him

"I just…I don't get you" Eric laughed to himself

"What isn't there to get?" Jenny asked

"I don't get why your so eager to be a part of this world. Why your breaking in to schools to steal an exam just so you can sit on some stupid steps" Eric said

"Okay, now your sounding like my brother" Jenny sighed

"Maybe he has a point then" Eric said "Look, I get that you want to fit in but at what point will you say no?" he asked

"You don't get it. You nor Dan get it" Jenny replied

"Well I'm not so desperate to get people's approval" Eric said

"Easier said from the boy who's last name could get him access into anywhere" Jenny said

"My last name is just that, a name. I want to be recognized for other things besides that" Eric said "Is that why your friends with me, because of my last name?" he then asked

"No" Jenny quickly replied

"Then why go through that?" Eric asked "Why do something that could have got you in jail and kicked out of school" he said

"Because I want to fit in. It may seem stupid to you but I want to be able to walk down the halls and feel comfortable instead of always feeling like the outsider" Jenny replied

"You make yourself the outsider, your actions don't make you cool" Eric said

"Can we just stop talking about this? I don't want to have the same banter about what I like and what you dislike" Jenny said

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Eric asked

"Message boards" Jenny quickly replied

"Message boards?" Eric asked her looking at her quizzically

"Yes, message boards" Jenny said as she walked over to take a seat beside him "Do they have one for Sex and the City?" she then asked as she took the lap top to look at while Eric just looked at her in awe. How she could go from infuriating him to making him think she was God's gift was astounding to him "Do they?" she asked tearing him out his thoughts of her

"Yeah, I'm sure they do" Eric laughed as he grabbed the lap top only to find their hands touching. Looking on at the hands, he felt a rush go through him before he finally had to tell himself to get a grip "Its on here somewhere" he said trying to busy himself with all things computers

* * *

><p>Her head lay pressed against his chest as she had sought comfort in this unexpected embrace. Her eyes beginning to flutter open, she looked on to see the Sony logo of the dvd player float around the screen to show that the movie had gone off and they must have fallen asleep. Looking up she began to realize that Humphrey was still sound asleep, and she was laying on his chest. Cursing herself over and over in her head, she slowly rose from her position that was so close to him to realize that this was a mistake that she could never repeat again. Slipping out from with under the blanket that they had shared, she slowly tip toed over to the staircase only to be caught off guard by Dorota. Jumping back in surprise, Blair was able to cover her mouth so she wouldn't let out a scream that would wake Humphrey. Looking back at the boy, who slept like there was no tomorrow, Blair ushered Dorota into the kitchen so that she could talk with her.<p>

"What are you doing here?" Blair whispered

"Ms. Eleanor said that you were sick, so I came by because I know Mr. Humphrey won't be able to take care of you" Dorota replied "This morning I saw you and Mr. Humphrey…" she managed to say before Blair silenced her by covering her mouth with her hand

"Don't finish that sentence. I'm well aware of what you think you saw but I was highly medicated" Blair replied "What else did my mother say to you?" she then asked

"That to come by and take care of your needs, she will pay me double this weekend…" Dorota went on to say as Blair just sighed "And that she'll be in this afternoon" she said

"This afternoon? She's supposed to be in Paris, she has the Bendels deal" Blair said surprised

"Ms. Eleanor told me she will be home this afternoon" Dorota replied as Blair couldn't help but smile "Do you want me to tell her otherwise, that your feeling better?" she asked

"No, no. I think rest will do her good, we should just let her go ahead with her plans" Blair told her "But I do need you to take care of something for me" she said

"I've all ready done so, Ms. Katy and Ms. Isobel said that Ms. Humphrey did not succeed" Dorota relayed as Blair seemed a bit saddened by the fact but knew her expectations hadn't gone to high

"Figures" Blair shrugged "Now, I need you to call Serena and arrange a meeting with her for tonight at around…five, he seems PG but not PG-13 enough to go out any later than that. Then get reservations for two at the new French restaurant" she said

"Are you and Mr. Nate going out?" Dorota asked

"Must we have the questions?" Blair asked "Just set that up" she said just as Dan walked into the kitchen with complete bed head or in this case sofa head

"Dorota, what are you doing here?" Dan asked a bit groggy

"I came by to…" Dorota said before Blair interrupted her

"She had better sense to know that leaving me in your care was risking my life" Blair said

"Well at this rate, I do agree. Last night was not my finest" Dan said

"Just last night?" Blair laughed to herself

"Hey, I did the best I could" Dan replied "You don't make things easier though" he said

"I'm sick, my job isn't suppose to make it better for you" Blair replied

"And I'm sure that's the motto you live by" Dan replied as he walked over to the coffee machine "Dorota, do you think…" he began to ask before she just smiled

"I'm starting a fresh batch right now" Dorota smiled

"Your such a user" Blair told him as she just glared at him

"I asked nicely though" Dan replied before Blair nudged him in the stomach as the two went back and forth with hitting each other.

* * *

><p>The beginning of a brand new week meant a continuation of a legacy for the young woman as she turned the corner and entered into the courtyard of the school. Gripping on tight to her bag, Jenny looked around to see the many groups and clicks gather together while she just hoped that one day she would belong with a group so that she could feel a bit more at ease whenever she would step foot onto the campus. Slowly taking the steps, she looked over at the usual spot in which they would sit and like clockwork, they were there. Giving her a few glances, Jenny tried to continue walking forward but found it hard to just pretend like they weren't there. With a slight smile on her face, she walked over towards the girl which even Blair had to find ballsy on her behalf. Each girl turned their attention to the blonde, wondering just what she had to say.<p>

"Jenny Humphrey, what brings you over?" Isobel asked as she joined Blair

"I just wanted to know what time to meet you guys?" Jenny asked

"Meet. You didn't complete your dare, therefore the only place you'll be sitting is in the cafeteria with the rest of the freshmen" Blair replied

"No, I think I won't" Jenny smiled

"And why is that?" Katy asked

"Because I did complete the dare" Jenny said as she reached into her bag to pull out an orange envelope from her bag "I made copies, and put the originals back…that's what took me so long" she said

"Let me see?" Isobel asked

"I would but then you'd have to pay for it" Jenny replied

"That's silly, why would she have to pay for it? We could just tell the headmistress that you have copies of the JPE" Katy said

"And then I'd say that you have a master key and I know a janitor that can back that up. Louis sure has a thing for you, but doesn't do well under pressure" Jenny replied

"Twelve, sharp" Blair replied as Jenny just smile at her

"I'll see you then" Jenny said before she turned to walk away

"She clearly didn't fulfill the task" Isobel told Blair

"Yeah, she did. She did even better" Blair smiled as she looked on at the blonde girl walk with a new bounce in her step that she hadn't have before.


	6. Handmaidens Tale

**Author's Note: Sorry that it took so long to update, Finals week has been approaching so that means research papers are due soon and all that fun stuff. To answer one of the questions I got in one of the reviews, the song I used last chapter on Bad New Blair on the montage sequence of Dan taking care of Blair was Adele "Cold Shoulder". I appreciate the reviews so much and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter Six- Handmaiden's Tale**

_**Episode Summary: Dan is torn between two girls when his childhood friend, Vanessa, returns home and declares her feelings for him, just as he and Serena are trying to figure out what they mean to each other. At the infamous masked ball, Blair sends Nate on a scavenger hunt, but Nate is ultimately still distracted by his feelings for Serena. Although Blair makes it perfectly clear that outsiders are not welcome, a disguised Jenny and Dan sneak into the ball. Finally, Lily asks Rufus to accompany her to an Eleanor Waldorf event in order to make Bart Bass jealous.**_

* * *

><p>Grabbing for her robe as she got up from her bed, Blair watched Dorota enter the room and go about her daily duties of opening up the curtains to let in the day. Beginning to stir awake from the bright rays that hit against her flesh, Serena's eyes fluttered open to see her friend diligently look over today's task that'd she'd have to complete before the big event of the night. The Masquerade Ball had always been the event they cherished the most because it was the one night they could truly become someone else behind their masks, and with the lives they lead under the constant scrutiny of being the daughters of the wealthy…they needed a reason to let loose. Reaching over to grab her robe, Blair looked back to see that Serena wore her negligee that seemed to be suited perfectly for the blonde bombshell. She'd only wish that her body could be like Serena's because so much of her had envied it since they were little kids. Laughing and chatting as they headed downstairs to the all ready prepared breakfast that was laid out for them at the dining area. Taking their seat at the table, Blair lifted the top off her tray to see the well prepared dish that she wanted to eat but knew it wouldn't be best, so pulling out her cell phone she began to text away while Serena just ate away like she hadn't eaten a meal before in her life.<p>

"Isobel got the teal dress, thank goodness because I was beginning to think I would have to sabotage the dress" Blair said

"Why? I thought you dress was black?" Serena asked

"Yes, but teal at a Masquerade Ball?" Blair questioned "You and I both know that's recipe for disaster" she said as the two girls laughed

"If she wants to teal it up then let her" Serena said "I've still got to get my mask, my mom chose one but it doesn't go well with my dress" she said

"The fact that your mommy had to buy it is telling enough" Blair laughed

"I know, but she was trying" Serena said as she couldn't help but laugh herself

"Yeah, well…I have everything all ready planned out for the big night" Blair smiled

"Do tell?" Serena asked

"I have managed to set up a perfect evening for Nate and I. Took a little work, but I've placed clues throughout the building that way when he does find me…he'll get all of me" Blair told her as Serena looked at her skeptically

"Your turning this into a scavenger hunt?" Serena asked

"I wanted to make it romantic, and symbolic at the same time. It's like he'll find me just as I'm searching for him" Blair smiled

"You're a true romantic" Serena smiled "I hope things go well for you two tonight. I'm happy that you two are working things out…I know that I've…" she said before Blair interrupted

"It's okay. Everything is good, we've moved on from it….so no need to bring it up" Blair smiled optimistically "Tonight will be the start of a new beginning" she told her friend just as the elevator doors opened up and out came Dan with his ipod in hand while Blair just simply rolled her eyes at his timing "Because the day just got worse" she commented as Serena began to smile at the sight of her boyfriend

"Ladies" Dan greeted before he nervously walked over to give Serena an awkward kiss on the cheek "Hey" he said as he took his seat

"Your beginning to lurk now?" Blair stated "Why are you even here?" she asked

"Because Eleanor, also known as your mother, has a order that is coming in that needs to be sent off to Japan" Dan told her as Dorota brought him a cup of coffee "Are you going to eat your food?" he then asked

"Your not getting my food. God! Must you beg" Blair replied

"You never eat, so I figure someone should eat it" Dan reason

"Your lying" Blair replied "You have no real reason to be here" she said

"Yes, because I want to be around you on a Saturday" Dan replied in his usual sarcastic tone

"We were just talking about the Masquerade Ball" Serena mentioned

"Oh, the event you purchased that wedding gown for" Dan laughed as he looked over at Blair

"Don't be surprised if these prongs end up in your flesh" Blair smiled devilishly as she held up her fork

"Ha! You wish" Dan laughed at her

"Are you going?" Serena asked as she was beginning to enjoy the banter

"To the ball?" Dan asked

"Yes" Serena replied as Blair looked at her wondering what she was thinking

"You can't be serious?" Blair commented

"No, I'm joking" Serena replied sarcastically but Blair didn't catch on to that fact

"Thank God" Blair said breathing a sigh of relief

"She was being sarcastic Waldorf" Dan told her just

"I know that Humphrey!" Blair replied

"No, even if I did know or thought about it, I wouldn't go. I mean its perfectly fine that you go" Dan said "Balls aren't my thing" he said

"You haven't given it a chance, you'd love it" Serena smiled trying to convince him just as Eleanor came out of her office with the phone firmly attached to her ear but by the look of irritation on her face it was clear to see that she wanted the call to end

"Yes, yes, I know" Eleanor just said as if she were a robot spitting out assigned words "Okay, I have a meeting…can't talk" she said before she quickly hung up the phone "For the love of God that woman can talk" she sighed as she took a seat at the table leaving both Serena and Blair surprised that Eleanor Waldorf was actually taking the time to sit

"I have the numbers, Greg wanted me to send them off during his thinking time so I have thirty minutes until then" Dan told the woman

"Greg is a nutcase" Eleanor scoffed as she was served a plate

"Mother, your sitting" Blair stated

"I'm well aware of that" Eleanor said

"Maybe you can shed light on our dilemma" Serena said

"No, no. I don't think my mother has time to worry about Cinderfella going to the ball S" Blair replied

"You mean the Masquerade Ball…I loved those things" Eleanor smiled at the memories of when she was young "Your father loved dressing up for the ball…which explains so much now that I never caught on to back then" she said

"And this is the disturbing off track talk that I was telling you about" Blair told her mother

"I was trying to convince Dan to go to the ball" Serena said

"Daniel, your not going to the ball?" Eleanor asked in surprise

"It's not my thing" Dan said

"And we shouldn't make him think it is" Blair said

"Blair?" Eleanor said

"What? it's the truth. Humphrey here is probably going to get a greasy burrito on his way home and crack open a sugar filled carbohydrate soda, which only become his daily routine until his bald and fat" Blair said

"It amazes me on how little you think of me" Dan told her

"Glad to amaze you then" Blair smiled

"Daniel you should go. I think this will be a great experience for you" Eleanor said

"An experience? Of what I may ask?" Dan said trying not to laugh at how serious they were taking things

"To enjoy our world" Blair replied

"No, what I hope she had meant to say was to enjoy yourself. You work hard for me and I think you should go" Eleanor said

"And I second that notion" Serena said happily

"In fact, I will personally fire you if you don't" Eleanor said as Blair slammed her hand down on the table catching Dan off guard by the impact but he was enjoying her reaction to all this protest for him to go

"That's what it takes to get him fired?" Blair asked

"I have nothing to wear. I mean my suits are a bit dated, and I'm sure this event will warrant the best clothing" Dan said

"I will buy you a suit" Eleanor said

"What?" Blair questioned once again

"Blair and Serena will take you to go get it, so your excuse about the suit is out the door" Eleanor said just as her cell began to ring again "I have to take this but I expect you to go, just leave the numbers behind and I will send them in to Greg then get on the phone with Japan" she said

"You've got to be kidding me?" Blair scoffed

"Looks like Cinderfella is going to the ball after all" Serena smiled happily

"Ugh, well Cinderfella is gonna need to transform from Brooklyn grime to presentable. A miracle would need to be performed to make Humphrey look as if he even belonged" Blair stated as Eleanor just looked at her daughter "Shall we pray for that miracle now?" she asked the group only to find judging eyes

"This should be easy for you guys" Eleanor said

"What do you mean?" Serena asked

"Turn Cinderfella…" Eleanor went on to say before Dan interrupted

"Okay, is there any way I could just be called Dan" Dan said before the girls just ignored his plea

"Cinderella had her fairy godmother, well he has you two" Eleanor said hoping that they'd catch on

"Dan Humphrey does not have me" Blair stated before Serena nudged her on the arm

"I think I know where your going with this, and it involves my favorite thing" Serena began to smile with joy

"Does anyone plan on filling me in?" Dan asked

* * *

><p>Walking the crowded streets of the bustling foot traffic of Times Square, Eric found it a bit of a task on trying to keep up with Jenny as she zigged in and out of the crowd. By the time they had made it to their desired location, Jenny seemed to finally be at ease now that her tasks were coming to an end. With her making the cut as being under Blair's wing, Jenny found herself running around a lot more lately and all though he wasn't a fan of his friend being under any one's wing, he knew that it'd be a losing battle for him if he even tried. Looking through the bags as they entered into the coffee shop, where he had originally planned to take her, Jenny made a mental notes to herself before returning back to the Waldorf penthouse so she wouldn't be prepared for whatever reasoning Blair gives her as to why she was short changed. Looking on at the girl, Eric got up to order their coffee and her scone without her ever really noticing that he had even left.<p>

"Here you go" Eric said as she slid the cup in front of her

"What?….oh, you got coffee" Jenny said completely out of sync of what was going on

"Hence the reason why we came in the first place" Eric laughed "Are you okay?" he asked her immediately

"Yes, its jut getting all the items on Blair's list is getting to me. She scolded Ali for not getting the right black stalking for the Masquerade Ball tonight, and I do not plan to be on the scolding end of things" Jenny said

"You had to pick up shoes, how bad could things go from there?" Eric asked

"Size, color, toe, heel, bow color, shine, non peep toe…do I need to go on?" Jenny asked hoping that he got the point after the list she had given him

"No, I've fully comprehended what you were trying to tell me" Eric laughed

"I actually want her to look perfect for tonight because lets face it, this is the Masquerade Ball" Jenny said "Dan use to read stories about these elitest snobs and in each one there was always a ball" she smiled

"You mean Cinderella?" Eric teased

"No, not Cinderella…I mean the real deal type of Masquerade Ball where it had the underlying message of evil but allowed one to transform" Jenny said

"You really seem to be into this" Eric smiled

"I would be if I was allowed to go, but even if I was…I wouldn't be able to" Jenny said

"Why not?" Eric asked her as he took a sip from his coffee before he took a piece of her scone

"Because have you seen the dresses they arrive in, I mean one of those dresses would probably be like a years rent for my family. Besides I'm not exactly a native Upper East Sider" Jenny said "I'm from the west side" she joked as she threw up her w sign which only made Eric laugh

"Your not west side, well you are but you can't blame geographical reasons as to why you wouldn't be able to go" Eric said

"So I should just blame my parents for the lack of income that it would take for me to even get on the guest list?" Jenny asked

"No. I….your one of Blair's girls, she can't put in a word for you?" Eric asked

"I maybe but Blair is fully in to the fact that social class should remain in tact. Blurring the lines is mundane to her, and those are her words to be exact" Jenny said "I only got in because I got the JPE and forced Isobel and Katy to fork over cash for the answers" she said

"Yeah, that fact I still find a bit disturbing on two accounts. You risked a lot that night…maybe that could be your selling point" Eric suggested

"To what? I'm not going. Blair would see to it that I wouldn't, and I'm not trying to get on her bad side" Jenny said

"Oh, how easily you accept how things are…it's quite astonishing" Eric said

"Astonishing, have you been reading the dictionary for sport now?" Jenny asked

"Its what I do in English. I like to see how stupid the jocks are when they magically create words that don't exist in Webster's dictionary" Eric laughed

"Now I clearly see why you get pummeled on" Jenny laughed

"I like to think it educating the masses, radical style" Eric smile

"Besides the daily beatings, how has the transition been?" Jenny asked her friend "I mean I for one am glad that I don't have to check in with a nurse all the time to see you" she smiled

"Yes, that is a nice touch to things" Eric smiled "I'm transitioning well. Serena is actually been really good about us spending time together, we trying this thing called being siblings…its amazing" he joked

"I bet, but I do believe that I have one" Jenny said

"Oh, but not the Serena van der Woodsen kind" Eric laughed "My mom of course is busying herself with every social event possible, but she's making efforts. I'm less of the freak now around the house" he joked

"Don't call yourself that, your not a freak" Jenny quickly replied

"I am. I mean how many people do you know try to do what I did?" Eric asked

"I don't, but I know your not a freak…not to me at least" Jenny told him as he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter

"Consider my earlier statement stricken from the record then" Eric smiled

"Glad to hear it. I'll be right back, I'm gonna go to the restroom. Try not to get beat up" Jenny smiled before she headed towards the restroom. Staring at her every movement, Eric found himself in pure awe of her and it was impossible for him to take his eyes off of her. Inspiring him to take it step further, Eric pulled his cell phone out and called a familiar number that had always been of use to him

"It's me, Van der Woodsen. I need a favor" Eric said once the caller picked up

* * *

><p>Unable to escape the wrath of the girls, Dan had simply decided to go along with whatever they had planned for them. He found it a bit surprising that Eleanor was on board with this, whatever it was that they were embarking upon. Beginning to process the fact that maybe he was gaining the respect of his boss made him feel a bit more pleased with the day seeing as having Eleanor Waldorf on an application would take him very far. He could have gone on and on as to what this could mean to him but once they turned onto what he called fashion row, he knew that his suit shopping was going to exceed what he thought would be modest. Posts on Gossip Girl that he had read about the infamous Masquerade Ball were always so scandalous, and for the most part he saw the party as another excuse for the trust fund kids to party the night away because they feel the stress of whatever stupid reason. Now, he was going to the very ball that he scoffed at from a far. Once the town car pulled up in front of Ralph Lauren, the girls immediately checked their phones and sent off final texts to their social circles as if them being out of contact was going to cause the whole social network to collapse. Stepping out of the car behind the girls, he felt like the stores seemed more intimidating now that he had intended to enter with the very girls that frequented them like he frequented a Target or Wal-mart.<p>

"So there are important things that have to be done today" Serena said as she lead the way inside the store

"Like brain scans to see if we've officially lost it" Blair said to herself as she lazily trailed behind her friend

"No. We must cover the essentials of fashion" Serena said

"My suit" Dan replied

"No, Humphrey" Blair replied "Fashion is from head to toe, so in Humphrey terms it would be from your shaggy, untrimmed hair all the way down to your loafers" she said

"What's wrong with my shoes?" Dan asked as he looked down at his shoes

"Oh, that's what their called" Blair laughed

"B" Serena said "Nothing is wrong with them, they just need…. a little upgrade" she smiled before she walked over to grab his shoulders in comfort "Your in good hands. All you have to do is trust us" she said

"Trust us…as in the two of you, including Waldorf?" Dan questioned as he looked from Serena to Blair "Yeah, I'm having a problem with that" he said

"Just look at it this way, anything we do to you will only be a improvement from what you've done to yourself" Blair smiled "Let the upgrading begin" she said before Serena and her quickly dispersed, tugging at racks for desired clothing while Dan just stood there.

**They see my Fendi watch (love it)**

**And my Rock and ReDolce Gabbana heels (Now that I got them everyone wants them)**

**He comes in every size**

**Got to accessorize**

**He's like my low rise (Can't go without them it's something about him)**

Going down the line, Blair seemed to zone in on the specifics of what she was looking for, it had originally been a gold with tint hue but with Serena trying to find the suit, the color had changed over the course of an hour. Following behind the brunette, Dan found it fascinating that they actually saw shopping as some sort of sport. It was like a technique to them while his shopping mostly consisted of sales papers with the circled items that were on sale. Finding the tie that she wanted, Blair picked up the two finalists and held them up to the collar of his shirt as she judged with image of it actually being on him. He thought this would have been the easy part since they were just ties but it seemed to take longer for Blair to examine, which one looked better. Unable to control his posture, he found himself slouching from side to side wondering when this was all going to be over. His movement had knocked her off of her concentration so taking a deep sigh that seemed to catch his attention to the fact that she was becoming upset. Although he would have made it a habit to annoy her, he was relieved to know that she wanted to get this over with just as much as he did. Standing off to the side of her the clerk watched patiently awaiting her final decision before she then handed him the dark black tie. Turning to move on to her next assigned task, Dan jumped in praise as he was finished with the tedious task of looking for a tie.

**Ooh he's the latest thing I match with all my clothing**

**I scoop him up right from the stores soon as they open**

**Where ya get it from was he on sale now everybody wants to know**

**He can go with me anywhere I go cuz he goes with everything I own**

Sitting on the sofa in the dressing room, Blair grew tired of waiting for Humphrey to put on a simple suit. Serena sat in anticipation, while Blair's texting couldn't even suffice to pass the time of how long they were waiting. Getting up from her seat, the brunette walked past Dan's dressing room to grab a glass of champagne. They had frequented many times that when they were here they would sip on champagne with their parents, so them drinking on their own was no big deal seeing as it was so normal. Smelling the choice champagne of the day, Blair took a sip of her drink before she dodge running into the opening door of Dan's dressing room. The seamstress made a mad dash for her kit as she forgot that a part of the door was open just a crack. Giving a random glance inside, she couldn't help but notice a shirtless Dan Humphrey. To her surprise she saw that he wasn't as badly toned like she thought. She had assumed that since the Cuban burritos that he spoke highly of that he'd be doughy in the stomach area, but Dan Humphrey was far from doughy from what she saw. It was a shock to her to see that he actually had a whole six pack thing going on . Looking on closely to see if it could possibly be airbrushed on, she seemed to forget the fact that she was literally peeking in on Dan until Serena caught her off guard with an abrupt laugh.

"You've been spotted" Serena said before Blair quickly threw her body up against the door to close the dressing room as Serena looked on at her behavior strangely

"What? No…I was just…what are you talking about?" Blair asked nervously hoping that she hadn't noticed her staring at Humphrey surprising abdominal features

"Gossip Girl has us at Ralph Lauren. We are supposedly planning to buy pants suits" Serena laughed as she quickly went to texting "This is ridiculous what people believe" she stated

"Yeah, crazy what people believe" Blair agreed just relieved that she had been caught. Taking deep sighs, she quickly straightened up so she wasn't leaning up against Humphrey's dressing room door before she downed her champagne in hopes that it would calm her down.

**Get on the merry-go-round (round)**

**Wanna carry him round' (round)**

**All over town (town)**

**He's my latest accessory**

**Now (now) got the HollywoodBam Bam**

**Look what I found (Found)**

**He's my latest accessory**

Looking in the mirror as the two girls debated back and forth over the best option to take, Dan secretly moped the inevitable goodbye of his hair that he had grown to love, literally. Holding up the scissors, the hair stylist showed off different things he could do to Dan's hair that seemed to be a good visual for both of them to see. Slowly beginning to agree on the hair style that they had selected for Dan, in the mirror Blair had teased him by showing the spare scissors that were on the styling station. Usually Dan would be horrified by the thought of Waldorf cutting his hair, but he knew he had a secret weapon up his sleeve. Pulling out a pair of scissors he had hidden under the frock, he slowly revealed her Coach clutch she had. Glaring at him with eyes that said you wouldn't dare, Dan slowly inched the scissors to the clutch until she finally put the scissors down as he just smiled at his victory, before he to put the scissors down on the tray next to him, she then reached in and pulled away her clutch. Taking the first snippet of hair, Dan looked on sadly as his hair fell on to the frock while Blair praised the heavens above.

**He's like my Cloe shoes**

**Betsey bag**

**Oh he's cute**

**He's like my Marc Jacobs chain**

**Prada shadesWhat's his name?**

**He's my he's my he's my he's my**

**Latest accessory**

Giving a final look of himself, he had to admit that he did look good. He looked damn good he thought to himself. Dressed in all black suit with red velvet interior lining, black tie, Marc Jacobs dress shoes, Rolex watch, and David Simon hair style…he was now considered Upper East Side ready. Finishing up last minute details from her evening plan with Nate, Blair was glad that he had text back to confirm that he did want to spend the night with her but with conditions, all she knew was that tonight was going to be special. Slowly making his way out of the door, Serena's smile went from ear to ear once she saw the newly upgraded Brooklyn boy come out. Noticing the goofy grin that Serena had on her face, Blair glanced up to see that the very miracle she had spoke of at the breakfast table had just been performed all in the matter of five long hours. She contained the smile that she had within herself, not wanting to give Humphrey the satisfaction that he actually looked good in designer and basically in general now that he was all cleaned up. Unknowing to them, fellow classmates of theirs began to notice Serena van der Woodsen hugging what appeared to be a well suited bachelor, and in the land of Gossip Girl…this was news. Knowing full well of who he once was, the two guys laughed to themselves as they immediately sent the sneak picture they had taken off to Gossip Girl, and before they knew it…it had made front and center.

"And I think your ready" Serena smiled as she and Dan looked at each other through the window while Blair lurked behind, finding the sugary sweetness revolting

"What do you think Waldorf?" Dan turned to ask the brunette who was busying herself by texting

"By golly, a miracle has happened…happy Humphrey" Blair said only appeasing the obvious approval he sought from her "S, we have to pick up your Marc Jacobs" she said turning her attention to the blonde before she made her way out of the store

* * *

><p>Making their way off the elevators, Eric lead the way over towards his family's suit that they were staying at in the Plaza. Since his mother's divorce, they had been staying there while she searched for the next perfect home for the family to stay in, but if he knew his mother than he knew that would be a long ways off before she would find it. Entering inside the suite behind her friend, Jenny still always found it amazing how Eric could downplay his lifestyle as it was clear from the moment she entered into the swanky hotel that they were beyond rich. Heading into the kitchen to grab drinks for the two of them, Jenny took a seat on the sofa just looking around like it was her first time all over again being in the suite. Sometimes she had anticipated seeing Serena come barging out draped with her designer wear, going off to another party that was sure to land her on Gossip Girl. Coming back out with the drinks in hand, Eric casually opened his and took a sip out of his soda before leaning forward to grab his lap top that always seemed to be on the coffee table.<p>

"Checking the message boards again?" Jenny asked

"Yes, there is a ship war going on that is bound to get ugly when they pull out rating numbers" Eric laughed

"I worry about you sometimes" Jenny said as she laid back on the sofa trying to rest from all that running around before Eric's cell phone began to vibrate. Reaching forward, Eric looked at his cell phone and he couldn't help but feel like a momentary victory had just been accomplished "Who is that?" she asked

"No one really" Eric said

"So no one calls your phone?" Jenny questioned

"Basically" Eric smiled "Uh, by any chance…what dress size would you happen to be?" he then asked

"What?" Jenny laughed by that question "That was random, why do you want to know?" she then asked

"I think it was a general question, I mean knowing someone's size is a good thing to know" Eric reasoned

"Yeah, if your dating or something. Gift reasons I could understand" Jenny said as Eric couldn't help but smile at the possibility of something more happening between them after tonight

"I wouldn't go that far" Eric said before he put his lap top down on the coffee table before he walked over to Serena's room to open up the door

"I thought your sister was gone?" Jenny asked as she sat up on the sofa

"She is, but the reason I inquired about the dress was because my guy knowledge thinks I have found something that may for you, but I'm not….quite sure" Eric said as he walked in to grabbed the dress that was on Serena's bed as he walked out to show her

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked

"Serena got this dress in, but it wasn't to her liking. I think….I think it could be for you though" Eric said as he held out the dress. Quickly rising from her seat on the sofa, the girl nearly ran over to Eric wondering what type of cruel joke he was trying to pull on her because a dress like that was something she'd never be able to get her hands on

"Marc Jacobs. The canary strap with a plunging neckline, this is beautiful" Jenny admired the dress

"I knew you'd like it" Eric smiled "So what do you say? Want to wear it?" he asked

"To where? I can't exactly wear a dress in Brooklyn without getting weird looks" Jenny replied

"Not to Brooklyn. I was hoping you could wear it tonight, at the Ball" Eric said as Jenny looked at him with much shock in her face

"Okay, your being cruel if this is a joke. Please tell me your not joking?" Jenny asked

"This isn't a joke. I knew someone that is working the doors at the Masquerade, I got us on the list" Eric told her

"But I'm a freshmen, its going to be obvious that I'm not a junior" Jenny said

"I think this is the one time that I will use my last name in order to influence what should and shouldn't be" Eric said

"So your going to finally live up to who you really are" Jenny laughed

"Just for one night. It is a Masquerade Ball after all, you can be whomever you want to be when the mask comes on" Eric said as he held up a mask to his face to show his transformation

"And who are you now?" Jenny asked as she just smiled at him

"I'm Eric van der Woodsen" Eric said in a deep voice that just made Jenny laugh "So will you join me on a devilish night out?" he asked as he extended his hand out to her.

* * *

><p>Stepping off of the elevator, Dan still found himself feeling like a different person now that he was decked out in the finest of suits. He had always been used to suits that his dad used to have in closet or the suits that his mom had picked out for him at sales at the department stores, but nothing was ever this close to fancy. His dad had made the usual remarks of him look snazzy, which he would have assumed was a crack at him trying to make an attempt in the world of the rich and elite, but he knew that his father was glad that he was actually stepping out and enjoying being a teenager for once. Coming down the stair case in her black gown, looking more and more like royalty, he couldn't help but look at her like she had transformed herself. She hadn't noticed too much that Dan had arrived, but then again she was used to him just being there that when she did notice him it was like it was nothing anymore. Taking a moment, they both accessed the others look as if they were trying to study what they were now as opposed to who they once were before Blair busied herself with putting the finishing touches of her make up on. Smelling the scent of food being cooked within the kitchen, Dan tore away from his gaze of the petite brunette before he made steps over towards the kitchen.<p>

"I smell a feast being prepared" Dan said as his senses went into over drive

"My mother is hosting a dinner party tonight for the share holders. If you were doing your job then you would know that" Blair said taking the chance to get in a little insult towards the end

"Of course" Dan laughed

"Where is Serena?" Blair asked

"She told me she wanted to meet up over here" Dan said "So I came over here to be in your good graces" he smiled sarcastically

"It amazes me how you sneak your way into this world" Blair said

"This world? Why do you put it like its some exclusive thing to be in?" Dan question "You're a city, not a utopian world or something" he then said

"And yet you still feel like your from Mars on planet Earth" Blair stated

"References to the solar system, your insults are expanding now" Dan smiled "Believe it or not, I didn't sneak my way in. Serena, my girlfriend…" he said

"Oh for the love of God, will you spare me with the sappy crap Humphrey" Blair said

"Fine, but as long as we both know that I didn't sneak anything. I didn't even want to go in the first place" Dan said

"And you shouldn't be, so we agree on something" Blair said as Dan took a moment to access her only to realize that something else had to be going on with her

"You know you've been a little extra mean to me over the past couple of days…is something going on?" Dan asked

"I'm great. I don't have to sneak my way in" Blair said

"I get it" Dan said as he slowly realized what it could be "I get it now. I don't know why I didn't see it these past couple of days…your so transparent" he laughed

"What are you spewing about now?" Blair asked

"This is about Nate? Your nervous about your official outing tonight since…you know" Dan concluded

"My relationship is none of your business" Blair replied

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just hope you go into this with eyes wide open" Dan said

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Blair asked

"Don't be blind. Look at what's there rather than what you want to be there" Dan told her just as the elevator doors opened up and out came Serena dressed in her canary colored Marc Jacobs looking like a model

"Hey, sorry I'm late" Serena said as she leaned in to kiss Dan

"Being late is your specialty" Blair teased

"Are you ready?" Serena asked her friends excitedly

"Here's your chance Humphrey. Now you can pretend your rich for the night" Blair said as she put on her mask as she headed over towards the elevator

* * *

><p><strong>Got a secretCan you keep it?<strong>

**Swear this one you'll save**

**Better lock it, in your pocket**

**Taking this one to the grave**

**If I show you then I know you**

**Won't tell what I said**

**Cause two can keep a secret**

**If one of the m is dead…**

Looking out at the city in the night time, Dan swore that it lit up only for those that thought they ran the city. Here he was driving in limo's dressed in a suit that could possibly pay five bills his family had, and yet he felt content with it. Never would he accept that this was his world like Blair had come to call it, but he did love stepping in and out from time to time. It was no secret that he was with Serena, but more and more he wondered himself what was the intrigue about the blonde that made her so necessary to the public. At time he found himself gazing upon her like she was once again that girl he had dreamt her to be, but then there were times were he saw a little bit of the glow she once possessed begin to wane on her. Nonetheless, he did care deeply about Serena but not as one of her adoring fans but would his caring transpire into more is what he worried about. Behind the mask he put on as they pulled up in from of the desired location, he for one night would play the guy that was supposed to be with a girl like Serena.

**Why do you smile **

**Like you have told a secret**

**Now you're telling lies**

**Cause you're the one to keep **

**no one keeps a secret**

**No one keeps a secret**

**Why when we do our darkest deeds**

Entering inside the ball, everything glistened and sparkled with gold as only the Upper East Side would do. Masks throughout the room, gave the feel as if anything could happen tonight…your darkest desires could occur without consequences weighing heavily on anyone's mind. Spotting her prince within the crowd as he searched high and low for Blair, a quick smile came to her face to know that he had actually made an effort to want to see her. Taking a deep breath, she told herself over and over that tonight would be a new night and that they would begin a new phase in their relationship. She was more than ready to give herself to him, that was if he had come to find her. Turning to give a quick nod to Serena that said she would see her later, Blair dispersed within the crowd, determined to let the games begin with her prince.

**Do we tell?**

**They burn in our brains**

**Become a living hell**

**Cause everyone tells**

**Everyone tells…**

Guiding her down the steps, Eric couldn't help but beam as he was with the belle of the ball in his eyes. It nearly surprised him how amazing Jenny looked in a dress that was specifically designed for Serena, it had made him believe that maybe the great and unique Serena van der Woodsen had become a mere clone for the generations to come and that Jenny was even more breathtaking that his sibling. Beginning to tremble a bit at the sight of the very girls she had envied for being at these parties, a small part of Jenny felt like fleeing well before midnight. Taking a moment to stop once they had reached the bottom of the staircase and were now amongst the rest of the people, Eric gave her a slight smile that let her know that everything was going to be fine, and that tonight she belonged just as much as anyone else. Gaining her strength by the touch of his hand, he quickly whisked her off onto the dance floor and began to twirl her around like a ballerina.

**Got a secret**

**Can you keep it?**

**Swear this one you'll save**

**Better lock it, in your pocket**

**Taking this one to the grave**

**If I show you then I know you**

**Won't tell what I said**

**Cause two can keep a secret**

**If one of them is dead…**

Beginning to lose faith in his search, Nate had given up hope that he'd find Blair that way he could just by pass all the cards he would have to go through in order to find her. Hearing the whispers amongst his friends, Chuck in his devil mask that seemed to be so fitting of him, walked over towards him with a cunning look on his face once he pulled the mask up. Turning slowly to look at what everyone else seemed to be occupied staring at. Nate saw that Serena had arrived, but with the person she was rumored to be dating. There was no way to hide his displeasure, but his thoughts traveled in and out of wanting to be over her but his heart hadn't seem to catch up quite yet.

* * *

><p>Caught up in the foot steps of trying to adapt to what appeared to be a very particular dance that everyone was doing. The last thing he ever thought to happen would be a break from the usual bump and grind to a ballroom dance style, in which after each bow you would exchange partners. Unable to touch your partners raised hands, Dan hoped that when they would move around each other that he'd be able to maintain his balance and not embarrass himself even more than he felt before he took his bow. Moving on to his next person, he couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation, he was struggling to keep up and of course his partner would be Blair Waldorf. He was sure that she was going to kick him while he was down, but instead she seemed more occupied with scanning the room as if she were searching for someone. Turning her attention back to the hands that pressed up against her, she couldn't help but feel like this was some sick joke that she was dancing with Dan Humphrey of all people in a dance like this. Noticing his constant glances down at his feet she found that it was no shock that he didn't know the elegance of a dance like this.<p>

"Thought all we did was bump and grind, you know as you call it?" Blair asked

"I'm quickly noticing that it goes beyond that. Where is Nate?" Dan asked not wanting to focus too much on dancing

"He's around" Blair replied

"Around or unable to comprehend the series of clues you left for him?" Dan questioned

"Comprehend the steps first, and then we'll talk about his brain smarts" Blair snapped back

"I wasn't talking about his….though that could be the reason, but I was talking about why the games?" Dan asked

"Then just say that instead of being an ass about it" Blair said

"I'm an ass for asking?" Dan questioned

"My relationship is of no concern to you" Blair said as the part in the dance in which he grabbed ahold of her waste only caused more tension between the dueling pair

"You can bite my head off all you want, but the problems will still be there" Dan replied

"But out Humphrey!" Blair said in scolding tone

"Trust me, I'm trying but I have you for a few more seconds" Dan said before Blair finally broke away from his grip on her waste

"Then I'll do it…..you want this, don't you? You want things to not work out between Nate and I?" Blair asked

"I want you to be realistic here" Dan said

"I am, and the reality is that Nate and I are supposed to be together. Your reality….you really don't belong here" Blair said as a slight laugh came in the end "You may be here with Serena but that's the only reason why you'd ever be here…your ticket and access all hinges on Serena, so I hope you make that work because as soon as she realizes just what you are….you'll be back to where you came from" she said in cold tone of voice as Dan just glared at the harshness in her voice

"Since we're both being harsh, maybe you should wake up to your reality…Nate doesn't want you" Dan said as he moved in closer towards her to grab her hand as they joined back in with everyone else "And I think…deep down you don't want it either, but you have this notion that if you date a guy like Nate then your whole image will be upheld. Well what image is more pathetic than that of someone trying to hold on to someone that doesn't want them" he sniped at he took his bow. Staring at Humphrey, surprised by his tone and sharpness, she found herself trying to control her anger and he slowly rose with a smug look on his face, she gave him a quick slap to the face

"You don't know me" Blair told him before she quickly ignored her next partner and just wanted to escape all together

"Blair. Blair. Blair" Dan called out instantly regretting the exchange between them

* * *

><p>He hated these dances, everything felt so uniformed about these events, Nate thought to himself as he once again scanned the crowd. Becoming tired of the search for Blair, he was ready to presume this night as a bust and could hopefully blow of some steam with Chuck in a few. The only solace that he sought these days had been in the fact that Chuck's weed supply had been at its best. Looking over at the nervousness his partner had, he could see that she was clearly nervous due to him. It always made him wonder why girls could be infatuated with a guy they hardly knew but could cause so much confusion for guys they did know in the long run. Spotting Serena due to her originality of actually showing up in a color that would set her apart but fit her so perfectly, Nate found himself unable to turn down the opportunity of pretending like she wasn't there. Breaking away from his partner, he made his way through the crowd just in time to grab on to her arm. Finding herself in an awkward stop, she hadn't moved to much all of which he was grateful for. Moving in closer so that he could whisper in her ear.<p>

"Serena, can we talk?" Nate asked as she just stood speechless as he waited for a response "Okay, well I noticed that you came with Humphrey. I know you must find him charming but…I hated it. Not him, but this…this tension between us, this jealousy I have…say something" he said before he turned her towards him but yet she tried to avoid his look upon her "All right, then don't say anything" he said before he went in to kiss her.

Happy that he wasn't caught up in the organized union of dancing, Eric happily made his way through the crowd just wanting to return to Jenny. He his hopes of his chances with her only made him smile as he planned to make it clear tonight that he did like Jenny, and that he wanted to see if they could be something. For months he had stared at the blank walls of the Ostroff center, but his only relief came when Jenny had come by to visit him. His relief in general was her, and he didn't want to deny himself of that feeling any longer. Making his way past of group of people that had grown tired of the dance as well, he soon looked ahead to a sight that caught him completely off guard. Unable to move for a second, he looked on in shock as he watched her. It was an embrace that he had hoped would be for him soon, but watching her with who it appeared to be Nate….it felt like a knife cutting through his heart in the worst of ways. Watching her break away from the kiss, he had hoped that it would give him a bit of comfort but the fact still remained was that she had kissed back…she kissed him just as much as he kissed her.

* * *

><p>At this point in the evening, Dan had found himself just wanting to get it over with by now. Though his suit had made him fit in, in the sense of dress, he could feel the overwhelming feeling that like Blair had told him…he didn't belong. Coming out of the stall, he turned on the water and began to wash his hands just trying to busy himself with the stupid task of hand washing. Looking up in the mirror, he then noticed closely the transformation he had really gone through in order to come to a party like this. His hair had been primped and cut to a length that made him more suitable. Smelling an aroma of smoke come from one of the stalls, he instantly began to fan away the smoke not wanting to inhale any bit of it. Hearing the sounds of mustered coughing, Chuck couldn't help but feel his high come down to the harshness of reality. Taking one final puff from his joint, he opened the door to find the very person he didn't want to see at the party. Standing still for a moment he thought of how he should handle Humphrey but he didn't want his silence to be confused for being nervous around the Brooklyn boy. Making his usual casual stroll over to the sink next to him, Chuck threw his joint into the trash can next to him before he began to wash his hands.<p>

"Enjoying the festivities Humphrey?" Chuck asked as he began to dry his hands

"Yes, Chuck, I am" Dan replied all ready annoyed with Chuck's presence

"That's good because I always thought this party would be more your speed" Chuck said

"And why is that?" Dan asked

"Because this is the one night that it's okay to be someone else, someone your daddy can't afford for you to be" Chuck said

"Because I don't belong. I know, someone all ready beat you to that point, and this point I don't care because I don't care to belong in this world" Dan replied not letting Chuck's words getting to him

"Then you would think you'd start to get it by now" Chuck smirked

"I don't need this right now" Dan said as he threw his hand towel down into the trash

"Just know this Humphrey…just because you have the suit, doesn't make you one of us. You'll always be nothing but Brooklyn trash" Chuck said before Dan quickly grabbed Chuck by his collar to pin him up against the wall

"Say that to my face! C'mon Chuck…be the tough guy now, you piece of…" Dan grunted as he could feel himself losing control

"C'mon Humphrey, show off that temper of yours" Chuck laughed only find the rage in Dan hilarious. Gripping on tight to his collar to where Chuck's breathing had started to become affected. Pinning him even more so up against the wall, Dan finally released his grip realizing that it served no purpose to take any action against Chuck because he just wasn't worth it. "I knew you couldn't, your as soft as they come" he then told Dan as he adjust his collar

"And yet I wasn't the one pinned up against the wall" Dan said before he made his way out of the restroom. Not wanting to spend another minute being under constant scrutiny by those who thought or didn't think he belonged, Dan made a mad dash to the coat room to grab his coat while Serena had followed behind him. She could tell that something was clearly going on with Dan, but what was something she couldn't pin point at the moment as she tried to call his name out to make him stop to look at her. Grabbing on to his arm, Serena turned the boy towards her so that he would stop for a second

"Where are you going?" Serena asked nearly out of breath

"I can't be here. No, I don't want to be here. So I'm leaving, I hope you'll understand, but I have to go" Dan tried to reason as his words were coming out like a million miles per hour

"Okay, okay. Calm down" Serena said trying to relax him

"I'm sorry but I need to leave" Dan said as he tried to turn but she once again grabbed his arm

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize" Serena smiled "Can I have one thing though?" she asked

"What?" Dan asked

"Can I go with you?" Serena asked as a smile slowly appeared on her face before he extended his hand to her

* * *

><p>Over and over in her head she tried to think of another avenue in which she could take that wouldn't involve her telling the very person that had just given her a shot. Going through the crowds of people, Jenny thought of all the opportunities she had of backing out but she knew if she would that Blair would only learn through the only reliable source their was in the Upper East Side, Gossip Girl. For the most part she was like a nervous wreck over what had just happened, but a part of her couldn't believe that she had experienced at some small part what it felt like to kiss Nate Archibald. Although he had thought that he was kissing Serena by his declaration of feelings before the kiss, ultimately she felt at the moment that he was kissing her. Spotting Blair talking with Isobel and Katy, Jenny quickened her pace over towards the group. Amidst conversation, Blair turned her attention towards the blonde coming their way. The more she focused in on the blonde, she soon realized by the distinct feature she had come to attribute to the great Serena van der Woodsen, that the person coming towards her was not Serena at all.<p>

"Blair, I need to talk to you" Jenny said as she broke the circle and made her way up to Blair

"What are you doing here? How did you even get…" Blair began to question angrily

"I know, I know but I have to tell you something" Jenny said before Blair sighed in frustration as she looked from a confused Isobel and Katy

"Fine, but you have two minutes" Blair said before she lead Jenny aside while Jenny once again scrambled of what she should say

"I just want you to know that I didn't intend for it to happen, I didn't even want it to happen….I was trying to keep a low profile because I know I should be here" Jenny babbled

"Spit it out Jenny!" Blair snapped at her

"I just need you to promise that you'll hear me out?" Jenny asked with almost tears in her eyes

"I'm not making promises to you" Blair replied

"Please?" Jenny asked

"Speak!" Blair snapped once again

"Nate kissed me…well, he didn't kiss me but he thought he was kissing Serena" Jenny said as Blair just froze

"What?" Blair asked in disbelief "Your lying" she then stated

"I'm not, I would lie like that. Blair, Nate kissed me" Jenny said

"Why would he?…he probably…no, your lying Jenny Humphrey" Blair said becoming more confused by the minute

"He thought I was Serena. Apparently he likes her because he said that he hated that Serena came with Dan, and the tension between them…I'm not lying about it" Jenny told her

"Your pathetic" Blair quickly replied as Jenny just stood in disbelief as to what could she possibly say to make Blair believe her "You dress up and intrude an even that you have no business being at, then you make accusations against my boyfriend" she began to scold the young girl

"Why would I lie?" Jenny asked

"Because you don't hide your envy Jenny, you create this illusion that Nate kissed you…" Blair said only beginning to warm up with the insults she had in store for Jenny only to find Eric's appearance being the only thing that caused her to lay back a little

"It's the truth. I saw it, they kissed" Eric told Blair as he slowly approached them and Jenny couldn't help but feel like Eric had just come in to save her

"And your sure of this?" Blair asked Eric

"Yes" Eric replied before Blair took a moment to process it and realize that Jenny was in fact telling the truth. Not wanting to say too much because the embarrassment began to weigh heavily on her, Blair soon left the two in hopes of getting a moment to think. Turning to face her friend, Jenny couldn't be any more relieved that Eric had possibly saved her spot as being one of the girls of the steps still. She was smiling but could see that Eric wasn't.

"Thank you" Jenny thanked him but still his face remained a bit cold

"Don't" Eric replied "I think you missed the key point of what I had told Blair, I saw the kiss" he said

"I know, and you seeing it just saved me" Jenny said

"Yeah, it saved you. I saw the kiss as in I saw you kiss him back. You may not have been Serena, but you wanted to be" Eric told her

"No, I was trying to keep a low profile…" Jenny tried to reason

"I saw you! Jenny, you kissed him back…under the circumstances you were protected but you did kiss him" Eric said angrily trying to get the message across

"Your making a big deal out of nothing" Jenny said "I don't understand what I was supposed to do" she reasoned

"Nothing, I don't expect you to do anything, but what I do expect is for you to stay away from me" Eric told her

"Eric" Jenny said

"I mean it, stay away from me" Eric said before he made his way up the stairs to leave while all Jenny could do was watch her friend leave.

* * *

><p>Storming through the lobby with tears welled up in her eyes, Blair found herself tied up in a mix of emotions as what she thought she could fix was becoming more undone by the minute. Stepping out on to the balcony, she looked out at the city that she had once thought was her play ground but felt the cruelness of the evening come upon her more than anything. She had built this empire for it only to have cracks in it that would cause it to falter, like the empire she thought of, it was her world as she knew it. Spotting her within the moonlight of the night, Nate pulled up his mask as he made his way over to the balcony of which she stood looking out. His heart at one point in their relationship used to flutter at the very image of her but now it just felt unclear to him as to what he felt for the girl that he had loved for so long, it was unclear about everything involving them. Hearing the sounds of footsteps come from behind her, she didn't have to guess who it was as she had come to welcome his footsteps at her time of sorrow knowing that it was his actions that had caused these emotions within her. Standing beside her, he looked at the emotions she displayed feeling like something was wrong once again, and frankly he was becoming tired of trying to fix it.<p>

"What was with the clues?" Nate asked breaking the silence between them

"Isn't it obvious" Blair replied as she turned to look at him

"No, not really" Nate replied "All this is, is a big game" he said with a bit of laugh trying to bring a light hearted moment to this awkwardness between them

"A game in which you bailed out on, but no, Nate. This wasn't a game" Blair replied finding his laugh nothing but a mockery of what she was trying to do "I wanted you to find me, as in you actually putting in the effort to get to me, to be with me" she cried

"And I did, but they were too confusing" Nate said

"Too confusing or something you just didn't choose to bother yourself with?" Blair questioned

"If you wanted me to find you then tell me a location to meet you at, don't put me on a scavenger hunt" Nate said

"Yeah, well I didn't put Jenny Humphrey's lips on the list of clues but you found your way to that destination pretty well" Blair said

"What are you talking about?" Nate asked

"I know about the kiss. You thought you were kissing Serena, but it was really Jenny" Blair told him "I guess you stopped even trying to cover up your actions now" she then said as Nate just went quiet from the revelation

"I don't know what I can say, its true…I thought I was kissing Serena" Nate said

"So you intended to kiss my best friend. The very friend you lost your virginity to while we were still together?" Blair asked

"Look, I'm not going to argue about this because it's the same damn argument over and over" Nate said

"Because you keep doing the same actions over and over again" Blair replied "I love you but…" she said unable to say the words, finding them too painful she turned her gaze back out to the city

"Say it" Nate told her "Because we're both thinking it. We both know this is the path we're going to" he said

"No, I refuse to" Blair said as the tears began to stream down her face "I refuse to be your excuse, if its our path then you derail it" she told him

"Fine" Nate replied "I think we should break up. I think we should end it" he told her

"See, it wasn't that hard" Blair cried "You should have done this a long time ago, spare me the embarrassment of thinking that you actually loved me" she said

"I do love you" Nate replied

"No, don't even….don't you dare say that to me" Blair snapped at him "If you loved me then love should have made you fight for us. Love should have kept your feelings to only me. Love shouldn't allowed you to sleep with my best friend. Most of all love should have lead you to me, that's if you really loved me…so don't patronize me by saying what you think I want to hear for my benefit because you don't love me" she told him before she pushed passed him and made the great escape out of the building, out of the party, and just out of his betrayals.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't wanna talk now<strong>

**I don't wanna hear you scream no more**

**Want somebody to save me**

**Everything I do feels like its wrong**

**All we do is fall downeven though we try to stay afloat**

**I swear its gonna kill meeven though you think it wont**

**So why rock the boat and make waves when everything's calm and okay**

**So why am I confused if you love me**

**I thought this would be smooth sailing**

Throwing down his keys onto the counter as he entered his loft, Dan threw his mask to the side as he figured there was no need to wear a mask in his own home. Loosening up his tie, he made his way into the kitchen to see what food his dad and sister had left for him in the fridge but as he looked on at the sticky note, he soon realized that Jenny had gone out for the evening. If Jenny had gone out then that only meant that his dad was probably picking up another shift down at the bar to play a few more sets with the guys. All of which was fine with him because he like being alone, alone in Brooklyn, his own utopia where there was no masks. Grabbing a slice of pizza from the box within the fridge, he made his way into his room to grab his lap top as he settled himself on his bed. Taking a few more bites from his slice of pizza, all he wanted to do was just relax with a movie. Going to his netflix, he looked through the recently released movies that were available to him and to his surprise he saw Breakfast at Tiffany's. Putting the crust in his mouth as he adjusted his pillow behind him so that he was comfortable, he laid back on his pillow before he hit the play button on Breakfast at Tiffany's.

**Cause I don't wanna let you go**

**But we're caught in the undertow**

**Cause I am losing my control**

**But we're caught in the undertow**

**Our only prayer is all our own but we need air we go alone **

**Cause I don't wanna let you gotil we're caught in the undertow**

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Eric began to shake nervously while his knees shook in a steady pace. Looking up at the ceiling, he did his best to control the urge but found the circumstances of the night to hard to deal on his own, but it was becoming a battle of will at this point. Looking down at the very pills that had landed him in the Ostroff Centre in the first place. He needed something but he was praying that this wouldn't be his relief, he was praying so hard that the tears just felt like it was burning his skin as they came down. Running his hand through his hair, he looked on closely at the very temptation that knew him so well and found this no easy task. His shaking had become uncontrollable as in one quick motion he rose from the bed and threw the bottle up against the wall. Seeing the pills scatter off in different directions, Eric fell to his knees. While he fought the battle within himself, his phone vibrated on his bed, but got little to no attention from the boy. Going straight to voice mail he had missed the chance to see that it was Jenny that was calling.

**I don't wanna cry every time we try it never fails**

**Change the direction wanna be close, set for sail**

**My hearts in your hand, don't you go hurt me again all we got is one chance and its sink or swim**

**So why rock the boat and make waves**

**When everything's calm and okay why am I confused if you love me**

**Thought this would be smooth sailing**

Storming inside the penthouse, Blair began to tug at her mask as she threw it off to the side. Making her way into the kitchen, Blair noticed the left over food that Dorota had put away from the dinner party that was left over. Pacing the floor, she looked back and forth from the food to what the goal was supposed to be…she couldn't, she kept telling herself. Stopping for a moment, she looked over once again and slowly felt her defenses come down as it did start to feel appealing to her. In her mind she began to rationalize that if she were to partake that she could just as easily get rid of it just like she could easily eat it. Opening the lid of the first dish, she reached over for a fork and began to eat away at the mashed potatoes. Opening yet another lid to another dish, she began to eat like she had never eaten a day in her life. Continuing to eat, tears streamed down her face as she knew she was sabotaging her body more than she had ever imagined. In her mind she saw her eating such large portions as a bad thing but never thought of the overall picture of what she was doing.

**And I don't wanna let you go**

**But we're caught in the undertow**

**And I am losing my control**

**But we're caught in the undertow**

**Our only prayer is all our own but we need air we go alone **

**Cause I don't wanna let you go**

**But we're caught in the undertow**

Finding comfort in the movie, Dan couldn't help but laugh and enjoy the movie. He had watched it before with Blair, but he hadn't seen too much of it because he was too tired to fully grasp the reason why she had to watch it. It wasn't unusual for him to laugh because it was actually a pretty funny movie, and out everyone he saw tonight, he felt as if he related more to Holly Golightly than the poor impersonations of her that he had come to see at school everyday. He didn't understand Waldorf but he had hoped that like Holly, she would have a heart of gold and could be more than a girl about material things.

"You know what's wrong with you, Miss Whoever-you-are? You're chicken, you've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness. You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somali-land. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself." Paul Varjak, the character on screen, said as Dan just smiled at how true the statement was.

Author's Note 2: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Once again, I'm sorry for the late updateand I hope to do it regularly in the coming weeks once school is out. I like to listen to music as I'm writing because it helps me think and keeps me going, so most of the times I include the lyrics where I think it makes sense to the story as to what the characters are feeling at the moment. So that's why all the lyrics. The songs I used were: _**The Pierces- Secret (Big ups to Pretty Little Liars, by the way) , Jordyn Taylor- Accessory, Timbaland ft. The Fray - Undertow**_.


	7. Victor, Victrola

**Author's Note: This one is a bit long or it felt long when I was writing it so I hope you enjoy it. I do plan to defer from the original storylines, but the original storylines will be used in a sense that its twisted to fit the story...I know that didn't make sense but its kind of what I'm doing. Like in this chapter, we all know Blair and Chuck hook up, but in this chapter they do but not in the sexual sense...you'll read on, I don't want to spoiler it though, it just putting a twist on a few things to stay true to season one and also adding my own storylines like Blair's bulemia that I felt should have been done or I would have liked to have seen. The previous chapters I wanted to lay the foundation, but I feel like this chapter is the beginnning of things to come and now the story will take on a new life seperate from original storylines. I'm not quite sure who I want as the secondary couple, I have a few options in mind as I'm sure you've read, but I haven't narrowed it down maybe in coming chapters it'll become clear, but I do know Dan and Blair are the primary. I hope you enjoy :)**

**Chapter Seven- Victor, Victrola**

_**Episode Summary: After surviving the on-again/off-again nature of their new relationship, Serena and Dan finally acknowledge they are crazy about each other, despite their polar opposite worlds that constantly threaten to pull them apart. Chuck contemplates investing in a burlesque club in the hopes of making his hard-to-please father, Bart, proud of him. Nate confronts his father, The Captain, about the drugs he found in the house, but his father denies having a problem. Jenny discovers a secret her father, Rufus, and mother, Alison, have been keeping from her. Finally, Blair is once again devastated by Nate's actions after Jenny reveals that Nate kissed her by accident thinking she was Serena. Blair has sex with Chuck, Nate's best friend.**_

* * *

><p>Sprawled out restlessly on his bed with his English literature book used as an awkward pillow to lay his head, his eyes began to flutter open at the ray of sunlight that came through his curtain. Slowly sitting up his bed, rubbing away at his eyes, he felt the weight of his tiresome week come down on him. Glancing over at his clock he was just glad that he had gotten up on time to even make it on time to school or at least catch the bus on time to make it to school. Hearing a bit of sounds come from within the kitchen, Dan slowly put his book off to the side before making his way out of his room towards the kitchen to see Jenny hunched over picking up pots and pans. Wondering why Jenny was touching pots and pans, he looked over to see that his dad's favorite guitar was gone so he had probably gone in early down at the bar. Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, he couldn't help but laugh as he watched her struggle with trying to pick up the items she had dropped all while trying to leave a voicemail.<p>

"Look…your gonna have to talk to me….so can you do it soon. I'm sorry…please, lets talk" Jenny struggled to say as she kept bending over to put pots back on the counter before she hung up. Surprised to see her brother, the young girl nearly jumped back in shock "Your up" she said

"Yes, I am. I do tend to get up when it is a school day" Dan replied still half asleep "Can you start…" he began to ask before Jenny interrupted him

"A pot of coffee. I'm a step ahead of you" Jenny replied as she stepped aside to show the pot of coffee "I know why I need it, but why you? Why aren't you over at Blair's?" she then asked

"Because Blair's is the reason why I'm so tired" Dan said

"Okay, I'm gonna need more information on this one….Blair's making you tired?" Jenny questioned

"In this situation yes, Blair is making me tired" Dan groaned "Who were you calling with all the apologies?" he asked

"Eric, we got into a fight….what's wrong with Blair?" Jenny asked quickly trying to get back on subject

"Nate and Blair broke up, and Blair is doing this whole break up steps" Dan sighed

"Break up steps? Okay, I'll pretend to understand that" Jenny laughed

"You know, the whole thing where you girls mourn over a relationship like it's a damn human being" Dan said

"A curse word from the Brooklyn boy….testy, testy" Jenny laughed

"I'm tired" Dan stated

"So you've said. So its official, Nate and Blair, they broke up? Did she say why?" Jenny asked

"I have no reasons, just that it finally ended…it was headed that way so I don't know why its such a surprise" Dan said

"Uh, because they've been together since they were in grade school" Jenny stated

"They. Did. Not. Work. As. A. Couple" Dan replied putting emphasis on every word

"To you, but have you thought about it from her perspective?" Jenny asked

"I try to stay out of the mind of Blair Waldorf" Dan said "But this week….its becoming too much, I'm just glad it's a Friday" he said as he ran his hand through his hair "And Eleanor is on this tirade about who ate all the food from the dinner party because the kitchen was such a mess afterwards…so I have to find the culprit of that, and just…aww!" he groaned in frustration

"Due to the break up stages" Jenny concluded "Just what exactly happens in these break up stages?" she then asked as Dan groaned as if it were painful enough to deal with the fact that he felt so overwhelmed

"I can give you the watered down or dare I say, the brief points" Dan told her

_**[Flashback]**_

_**Stepping off the elevator, he could immediately hear the glaring sounds of music playing upstairs. He'd think that it would be Eleanor, but then he knew that would be his lame attempt of thinking he was funny when he knew she'd be the last person that would ever do something like that. Making his way up the staircase, he heard the sounds coming more clearly from Blair's room as he looked over to see a nervous Dorota standing outside of her bedroom door. Joining her by the door, he looked on at her like what was going on but her facial expressions showed that she was more than concerned about Blair. Finding it a bit odd that Blair was listening to a Celine Dion classic, "All By Myself", mostly because she had no reason to be or at least he had thought. Unable to just take standing outside of her room in fear of what they might see when opening, Dan entered the room only to realize that he should have honored the fear. Covers piled on top of her, looking like a complete mess, Blair held her remote control to her stereo system in her hand as she rested her head against her backboard while singing along softly to the words of Celine Dion, while Dan looked on in shock.**_

_**"What the hell?" Dan muttered to himself as he looked on at the overall mess of both Blair and her room "Waldorf. Waldorf. Waldorf" he called out as she just continued to sing along before starting the song over. Glancing back over at Dorota, she still remained in the doorway unsure as to what she should do.**_

_**"When I was young. I never needed…anyone. Making love…I never even lost my virginity…" Blair said before she began to cry her way through the song "Those days are gone" she mumbled**_

_**"Waldorf. Waldorf, what happened?" Dan asked trying to get her to stop singing**_

_**"All by myself. Don't wanna be. All by myself…anymore" Blair screamed out in the top of her lungs as her singing felt like listening to someone scratch against a chalk board causing both Dorota and Dan to wince in pain at the sound of her voice**_

_**"What do we do?" Dan went over to ask Dorota in a desperate attempt to stop the singing**_

_**"Ms. Blair and Mr. Nate end their relationship. Hence all by myself" Dorota told him as he looked at her like he was in some teen melodrama**_

_**"Oh, you've got to be kidding me?" Dan replied in disbelief before they turned back to see Blair standing up in her bed amidst all the tissues with her remote control being used as a fake microphone**_

_**"All by myself. Don't wanna live" Blair continued on with the desperate attempt to sing before Dan walked over to the stereo system and turned it off "What the hell Humphrey!" she said nearly falling off the bed but luckily Dan had caught her**_

_**"Really? Celine Dion's, All By Myself?" Dan questioned**_

_**"Yes, really" Blair replied as he couldn't help but observe the drastic change in the usually dolled up socialite**_

_**"Who knew your cheeks were so puffy, you look like a chipmunk" Dan said as he attempted to pinch her cheeks by she had slapped his hands away while all he did was laugh**_

_**"Don't touch me" Blair scoffed at him**_

_**"You and Nate broke up?" Dan asked "Why?" he then asked**_

_**"Because this is a cruel joke passed down from God himself" Blair said**_

_**"I hardly think God worries about your love life, he might worry about your soul, but your life…not so much" Dan replied**_

_**"And thanks to that unnecessary note, I will return to my music" Blair said before she turned to climb back in bed**_

_**"But pathetic music…it all sounds like your about to jump off a cliff or something" Dan said**_

_**"Go!" Blair yelled at him**_

_**"Blair" Dan said**_

_**"Go!" Blair yelled once again before she looked over at Dorota to assist him out of her room**_

_**"Fine. Fine. I'll leave, but only because this is horrifying to see you like this" Dan said as he began to walk over towards the doorway**_

_**"Your horrifying!" Blair tried to retaliate but found her words didn't have the same zip like they used to with Dan "I can't even insult you like I used to" she began to cry**_

_**"Then by all means, listen away" Dan smiled sarcastically before he left the room leaving her to stew**_

_**"Dorota, put my ipod on Mary J. Blige…I think its time to listen to a song that I can more than identify with at this moment….I'm going down" Blair instructed Dorota**_

_**"Do you really think that's necessary?" Dorota questioned**_

_**"I want Mary!" Blair demanded just as Dorota put the music on to appease the young woman's request**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

Holding her coffee cup in hand, finding the story a bit shocking and pathetic all wrapped up in one, Jenny just looked on at her brother as he just gave her a look like he wished it was a lie that he had just told. Putting her cup down, she began to access the next question to ask him as to the so called break up stages "Okay, that was…strange" Jenny stated

"Tell me about it" Dan said as he ran his hand through his newly cut hair but found his short trim a little harder to do so in "She's been like a whole array of emotions that has been like trying to catch a butterfly in a bottle" he said

"Okay, well who doesn't listen to sappy music" Jenny reasoned

"It goes beyond that" Dan said shaking his head "From the whole cutting out Nate's face out of every picture, the out of nowhere crying fits, and my new personal and scary favorite…the sudden rebound. She was a wreck and then one day she prances down the staircase acting as if nothing ever happened, so yes…I'm tired" he said "But that's my job in general, when it comes to working for Blair Waldorf. I would love to continue on with this discussion that is the cause of me being tired in the first place, but I have school and so do you. So I hope you work it out with Eric, but we leave in….ten minutes" he told her making sure to give her a set time so she wouldn't make them late

"You're the one still in their boxers and tank top" Jenny laughed "You have ten minutes" she then said as he looked down at his clothes to realize she was right just before his cell phone began to ring

* * *

><p>Assembling her minions, Blair went down her checklist of her minions names as learning them all would just be a task she'd only delegate to Dorota anyhow, unsure if this was a friendly lunch or a briefing for a target, the girls were unaware of how their posture should be for such a urgent meeting. Nearly running over to the steps, Jenny knew that she was probably all ready on Blair's bad side seeing as she had delivered the kiss that had broke up her long time relationship with Nate. Though at times when she did think about it, the fact that Nate thought he was kissing Serena made her wonder why he would think that. Taking her seat next to one of the girls she had come semi-close with within the small group of girls, Jenny sat eagerly awaiting to hear what Blair had to say. Beginning to pace the pavement waiting for the final minion to arrive, Blair ran over and over in her head as to what the focus of this meeting would be and what she hoped to accomplish, but mostly she had hoped that she would be strong enough to get through this without crying. Nearly dodging cars, the last of the minions nearly got hit by an oncoming taxi but was lucky enough to avoid the fatal accident because she knew being hit would be a blessing compared to what accident she'd experience if she'd been late to one of Blair's summoning. Finally seeing that all of her minions were now all present, Blair turned her attention to them.<p>

"Now that we have a thirty seconds to spare…yes, I noticed Emily, my time is precious and I don't appreciate near lateness" Blair said

"It won't happen again. I promise" Emily replied

"Your promises mean nothing to me, but they will have to do for now" Blair told her "Now, as you all know the infamous list of St. Jude's eligible was posted on Tuesday" she said

"David Greenwich made top five, I'm so excited" Isobel said happily as Katy celebrated with her

"Yes, because that makes what you two did in the back of Mercedes any less classy" Blair said sarcastically

"What's wrong with that?" Jenny asked "Not that I condone or know what your talking about" she then tried to cover up immediately so it didn't sound like she was talking back

"The Mercedes was a 2005" Katy told her as Blair nodded in agreement

"That is like the equivalent of last seasons Bensimon, everything is seasonal" Blair said as Jenny still sat in confusion "But we're getting distracted with less important things. As you may have heard through none other than Gossip Girl, my relationship with Nate has ended. I don't need sympathy because it was…" she began to say before Emily interrupted

"That was a wise thing" Emily praised

"Why?" Blair asked

"Because Nate slipped, he's edged out of the top ten" Katy said as Blair seemed a bit caught off guard by that information

"What? That can't be…its Nate Archibald" Blair said as she looked on at her print out of the names of the boys

"Now it was Nate Archibald. He got beat out by Josh Peirce" Isobel replied

"What exactly is this list?" Jenny asked

"I'm a little disturbed that you don't know the require text for this group Jenny" Blair said

"I haven't checked Gossip Girl since Monday" Jenny said

"Spare me the reasons" Blair sighed "The list you speak of is The Male Rank List, which is the rankings of the St. Jude's boys based on status in social circles, future earnings due to what they are involved in, and trust fund gain" she said

"So this is based on their futures" Jenny concluded

"Basically" Emily said "And them being hot is a bonus in some categories" she then said

"Nate use to be number one for like four years straight" Katy told her

"But you guys are juniors" Jenny said a bit confused "How is that possible for him to have in four years, since I assume this during high school time" she said

"That's the thing, Nate's Abercrombie and Fitch looks brought him an early ranking, beating out Todd Hapsburg" Katy said

"So who is number one now?" Jenny asked

"This you won't believe" Isobel said with a bit of laughter as Blair looked on at the picture that nearly caused her to throw up in her mouth

"Charles Bass" Isobel revealed

"Chuck" Jenny replied as whispers came within the group in correlation with the news "So I'm going to take a guess that since you and Nate are no longer…and since he was the apparent number one, hence King…your in search of a new King that would happen to be…Chuck Bass" she said trying to make sense of it in her head

"You learn quickly Little J" Katy smiled

"There has got to be another way" Blair stated as she looked over at Isobel and Katy

"It'd be a little home wreckerish to break up a good friendship, but you have to do what you need to do" Isobel said

"Wait, what?" Jenny asked "Blair and Chuck. Chuck and Blair, that just sounds off when I put it together or even in the image of seeing you two together" she said finding it harder to say their names without feeling a tad bit disgusted

"Thank you for the horrid images, you can sit and shut up now" Blair told her

"But lets face it, Chuck is riding high in all areas. He's about to open up his own Burlesque club, supposedly his father wanted him to take up extracurricular" Isobel said

"And here I thought extracurricular were debate team or basketball team" Jenny muttered to herself

"I'd jump on that Blair" Katy told her

"You'd jump on anything" Blair quickly replied finding Katy the last person to suggest jumping on anything

"Every Queen needs a King, that's what they wanted Queen Elizabeth to do or buy into" Emily said "I love history" she laughed nervously at the thought of her favorite subject while Blair looked at her confused as to how she even made it into the group

"As weird as you are, your right. Every Queen needs a King, and my repulsive selection is none other than…Charles Bass" Blair said as she looked on at the picture of Chuck in disgust but knowing she had to do this

* * *

><p>Making his way down the stairs, Dan kept looking around nervously as if he wanted to make sure that he was alone. Going over towards his back pack, he pulled out his lap top before making his way over towards the kitchen pantry just before he entered inside. Sitting down on the stool that Dorota uses to stand up on to put canned goods on the top shelf, he opened up his lap top and opened up the dvd file that Carter had sent to him earlier that day. He hadn't felt right about this, but he had no other option besides looking at the video for some tips of some sort because talking to his dad about it was just going to be too awkward. Earlier that morning when he had talked to Serena, she had mentioned the idea of them spending some time alone together. Usually he would have thought that said alone time would be them just making out on his bed, but knowing her and her need to call about it, he knew that she meant taking their relationship to the next level. Coming down the staircase, Blair prepped for her meeting with Chuck that nearly took having to pull teeth to get it, but she was able to do so. Heading into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, she couldn't help but think about how drastically things had changed and how she would have never entertained the idea of being with someone like Chuck, but losing Nate had put her in a tailspin. For a while she knew that his heart was somewhere else and that she couldn't gain control of, but she had to remain in control of her status and seeing as Nate had dropped in the rankings she was determined to not let her stock go down as well. Hearing strange moans come from within the pantry, Blair made her way over towards the door before she quickly opened it to see Dan sitting on a stool.<p>

"And this has got to be the most pathetic thing I've seen this whole year" Blair laughed as Dan looked on in complete embarrassment as quickly got up from his seat and tried to run out of the kitchen "Seriously, porn in the pantry? That's low even for you Humphrey" she said as she followed behind him

"I was doing it to be a perve" Dan reasoned

"Because its only natural to watch porn at your place of employment" Blair said sarcastically "Should this be something I inform Eleanor about, that her little golden employee is not doing his job because he's too busy watching She's Gotta Have It" she teased

"Look, this is…and…it was inappropriate but I had to…and that didn't make it sound any better" Dan said before he began to realize that what he tried to see as reasoning wasn't doing in good at all

"Embracing your inner perve?" Blair asked

"I'm not a perv" Dan said as he grabbed his back pack to put his lap top away

"Why are you watching porn anyways?…besides the obvious guy reason?" Blair asked

"I'm not talking about this with you" Dan replied

"Let's see, your watching porn in a pantry…you don't strike me as the jerking kind of guy…this seems like an awkward teenage boy preparing for sex…I got it! Your planning to have sex with Serena" Blair said as she was able to piece together the scenario without Dan having to even mention a thing to her

"That's a little scary that you can do that" Dan told her "And I don't want to talk about my sex or lack there of" he said

"So you turn to porn, that's the most unrealistic there is out there" Blair said

"Like you would know? from your declaration of All By Myself…I now know you've never been touched" Dan replied with a slight smirk on his face

"I've gotten closer than your hand has ever gotten you, and I think my music choices are far more superior than your emo songs" Blair fired back at him "So your finally going to jump on the Serena ride" she laughed

"She's not a ride and she just mentioned that we should spend some alone time together, that could mean…" Dan said before she interrupted

"That means your going to be horizontal in Serena speak. Face it, your about to be deflowered" Blair said

"Yeah, well I'm not so certain that sex is the best thing right now" Dan sighed

"Your such a female sometimes Humphrey" Blair laughed "What is there not to be sure of? You like Serena, Serena tolerates you…that's a recipe for good sex" she said

"I like to think sex should take on more meaning that two peoples hormones getting the better of them" Dan replied

"And hence the reason why your still a virgin" Blair smiled

"All by myself…don't want to be" Dan sang before Blair punched him in the arm as he was clearly mocking her mourning process while Dan just laughed

"Shut up!" Blair said

"Speaking of your pathetic moment, you bounced back quick from your Celine Dion moment to now being your usual annoying self…what are you up to?" Dan asked

"And I'm going to acknowledge this question because?" Blair asked

"Because how does a girl go from crying her eyes out to now acting like nothing ever happened" Dan questioned just as her cell phone began to ring. Looking on at the caller identification he quickly saw the name Chuck come up and couldn't help but look at her like she was out of her mind "And I have my answer. What the hell?" he questioned her

"This is none of your business, so stop acting like it is" Blair replied

"You trying to get over Nate is difficult, I get that, but any association you have with Chuck will only lead to trouble" Dan told her

"And you know this how?" Blair asked not buying his judgment on Chuck "You've entered in this world for about two months now and you have insight into who's good and who's bad" she questioned

"He repulses me, that's impulse enough. Whatever you have planned with him, let it go" Dan told her

"Your not my father" Blair told him "And I'd appreciate if you stay out of my relationships and stay in your role as the hired help" she said before she answered the call "Chuck" she answered as she made her way up to her room leaving a skeptical Dan downstairs

"I have to cancel our little whatever today, I've pressing business to tend to" Chuck told her

"Pressing or avoiding me?" Blair asked

"Why would I be avoiding your desperate attempt to remain relevant" Chuck said

"Because I think it's a proposition you should consider" Blair replied

"Well I don't time to consider or entertain, I have a business to open…maybe you should come down and loosen up…" Chuck said in his pervy voice that made her contort her face in disgust

"I think we should stick to the issue at hand, and it would be best if we meet in person" Blair said

"Come to the opening tonight, be a part of something out of your comfort zone" Chuck told her

"Talking to you is out of my comfort zone" Blair quickly replied

"I saw the list, I'm well aware of the fact that I have reached number one, and I'm also aware of the fact your time on Nate's arm has ended" Chuck smiled "Serena has impeccable timing" he laughed to himself

"The break up was mutual, it had nothing to do with Serena" Blair replied

"Keep telling yourself that" Chuck laughed "I have no use for you" he then said

"Oh, I think you do. I mean lets face the fact you may be number one but you lack certain…training, or should say appeal. It's the appeal, in which no respectable girl would ever be within ten feet of you" Blair said

"And yet I've had my bedroom door opened more times than you can count" Chuck laughed

"And I wonder what account that comes out of" Blair teased "Look, we're wasting time with the insults. You need me, and I need you…sadly" she told him

"No, what I need is a scotch. You, you need to let the walls of Jericho down on your virginity then maybe Nathaniel will come running back" Chuck said

"What do I have to do to convince you?" Blair asked

"Now who needs who?" Chuck laughed at the change in her tone

"This union would make sense. Chuck Bass, who's rank is number one in St. Jude's along with Blair Waldorf, who's rank is number one as well…face it we're inevitable" Blair said

"I like my odds" Chuck said "Though there is one thing I've got my eye on to entertain this sense boredom in me" he said

"I'm listening" Blair said

"I've got a need to exact revenge, but a special kind" Chuck said

"Cruel Intentions style or the ABC kind?" Blair asked "Revenge plots are my specialty" she smiled

"I'm thinking along the lines of Cruel Intentions" Chuck said

"Well, do tell?" Blair asked

"Your yard boy, Daniel Humphrey" Chuck said "He has a sister…" he said before Blair cut him off

"Jenny Humphrey" Blair said

"Deliver me her, and consider us united" Chuck said

"But what exactly plans for her? I mean delivering her will be no problem, but if your going after Dan then why have her involved?" Blair asked

"In due time I will tell, but I need you to put in a good word for me" Chuck said

"It would take more than words to do that…I'm thinking a novel would suffice justifying you as good" Blair said

"Don't do it or grab a parachute for the fall your about to take. You make the decision" Chuck said before he ended the call.

* * *

><p>Walking down the crowded streets of New York, she eagerly turned the corner and entered into the entrance of the Plaza hotel. Greeted by the usual bell hops and hotel security like she usually had whenever she came to see him, Jenny headed over to the lobby of the hotel before taking a seat. All throughout the day she had called and even stood outside of Eric's classrooms just hoping that they could talk. Just as she assumed that he was probably still off at school the elevator doors opened up with a melodic ring that she strangely seemed to love to hear before Eric stepped off with his ear buds from his ipod in his ear. Getting up from her seat, she immediately made her way over towards him, cutting him off to his path to the hotel restaurant, he looked up and was surprised to see her there. Taking the ear pieces out of his ear, he was unsure of how to take her appearance or how he should even feel about it.<p>

"What are you doing here?" Eric asked

"Seeing as I tried to call you this whole week, sent you e-mails, stood outside of your classrooms…are you really that surprised as to why I'm here?" Jenny asked

"No, no. I just figured you'd get the point" Eric said

"And what point was I suppose to get?" Jenny asked "Nate kissed me, I wasn't suppose to even be there, so I had to play along" she told him

"Well, I'm glad to know that you didn't get the point early on in this discussion or run in" Eric said before he tried to walk passed her but she had cut him off once again

"Your being unfair" Jenny said "What right do you have to judge me?…what happened was a mistake that I couldn't control" she said

"You could have controlled it! You have a choice when you decide to stick your tongue in some guys mouth…that is a choice" Eric replied angrily trying his best not to draw attention to themselves

"What is this really about? Because this feels like your upset with something other than me kissing Nate…its like your mad at me for…" Jenny said before he cut her off

"For kissing Nate" Eric replied "That's why I'm upset. I'm upset because you always seem to be so starry eyed when it comes to this world, like this world is breathtaking to you, and its scary to see someone admire a life that has nothing to offer them but trouble" he told her

"Said the boy who has that life" Jenny said "So now its wrong for me to want more or look up to the very kids I see on a daily basis. I'm sorry for wanting to fit in" she told him

"Its beyond fitting in, its you idealizing this belief like the rich are some sort of celebrities" Eric replied

"This is insane, we're arguing about something that we will never see eye to eye on. You hate this world, I get it…I really do, but this is the difference between the haves and the have nots. Your angry that you're the outcast in this world, but I'm tired of being the outcast in mine" Jenny said

"Wow, and so the truth comes out" Eric said in disbelief "I'm the outcast…so that explains our friendship" he said

"No, it doesn't explain our friendship. I'm friends with you because I like you, I like talking to you but if you can't accept that part of me that wants and needs things then I don't see how we can continue to be friends" Jenny told him "Look, I just really need my friend right now…so much has happened, and I just need to talk to you…" she said before he cut her

"Continue to be friends" Eric laughed to himself "Well, maybe we need to examine our friendship" he said before he put his ear buds back in his ear before he walked off leaving her standing in the middle of the lobby. Looking on at her friend, Jenny found herself wondering what she could possibly say to him that would stop him from being so upset with her and let things go back to how they used to be. Just as she got lost in her thoughts her cell phone began to ring. Looking down at the caller identification, she saw that it was Blair calling.

"Hey Blair" Jenny sighed "What's up?" she asked

"I need you to do something for me" Blair stated

"Sure, what do you need?" Jenny said as pulled a pen out of her bag to write down the information on her hand

"Chuck is busy with his Burlesque opening so he's been avoiding the school aspects of his daily life, I need you to get his homework assignments together by tomorrow" Blair said

"Tomorrow? The school is closed and I'm pretty sure the office is going to close down in the next thirty minutes…is there a specific time tomorrow?" Jenny asked

"I like to be prompt and on time Jenny, what time do you think I have in mind?" Blair replied "Is there a problem with what I'm asking?" she asked

"No, I'll figure out a way to get into the office" Jenny sighed "How is the progress with him going anyways?" she asked changing the conversation

"That's none of your business, just do as I ask" Blair said before she ended the phone

* * *

><p><em><strong>After an intense work out on the soccer field, Dan entered into the locker room taking off his shirt. Beginning to clear his face of the sweat, he made his way over towards his locker and began to put in his locker combination to open up his locker door. Tugging away at his gym bag, he began to undo the string on his shorts before he pulled them down. Stripping down completely, he reached into his locker to grab his towel before heading over to the shower area. Feeling the mist of the water spread throughout, he felt relieved that the tension in his body was about to be relieved after such a grueling workout with Carter. Getting lost in the overwhelming sensation of the warm water pounding against his flesh he soon heard a slight bit of laughter come from beside him. Taking a quick glance over towards his side, he could see the headband wearing brunette standing there looking at him with his judgmental eyes on the outside of the shower. Quickly leaning in so she couldn't see him, Dan began to go in a frenzy of trying to cover himself.<strong>_

_**"What are you doing here?" Dan asked in a complete fluster**_

_**"Wow! Its really small. I just figured that someone like you would really be packing" Blair said as she peeked over to see while he turned his body even more so**_

_**"Yeah, well I'm in the shower" Dan reasoned "What the hell are you doing here Waldorf!" he asked again**_

_**"Serena told me that you two would be engaging in her favorite activity, and she was worried that you might not be up to it, but I can clear see that your not even meeting the standard requirements she likes" Blair laughed**_

_**"Well I'm glad your getting a good laugh out of this" Dan replied "Why is Serena sending you in to spy in on me?" he questioned**_

_**"I'm getting more than a good laugh out of this" Blair said before she took her phone out and tried to take pictures "Serena will get a good laugh" she said**_

_**"Stop! Blair, stop!" Dan yelled out at her "Get out of here!" he told her**_

_**"Don't be shy, we all have little problems" Blair teased before Dan reached out to grab his towel to cover himself "You clearly have a lot to worry about. I mean at least Nate had something for her, but that…I don't even think she'll find it. Can you even get…?" she began to ask before she cut him off**_

_**"Yes…I mean that's none of your business" Dan said "And besides, unlike Nate…I care about her and want more than just sex" he said**_

_**"Said the boy with small…" Blair said before he interrupted**_

_**"Blair!" Dan yelled**_

_**"Should I tell her or should you?" Blair asked "I mean this is going to put a damper on your whole deflowering process, but I'm willing to make you suffer" she said**_

_**"Its not even small…its more medium than anything" Dan tried to reason**_

_**"Medium in what country?" Blair joked**_

_**"I'm a virgin. I'm in the shower…can you clearly see how this is more pressure than I should handle?" Dan asked her**_

_**"Yes, I can understand, but there is little be desired…literally" Blair said as she held her phone up and got the money shot "Say cheese" she joked before he quickly lunged forward**_

_**"No!" Dan screamed out**_

Quickly sitting up in his bed with beads of sweat piling up on his face, he quickly looked down at his private area, relieved to see that he was still very much clothed and that he was just having a nightmare. Looking over at the clock, he was slowly seeing that his time to get it together was slowly running out and that Serena would be here in only a short amount of time. Striking the word short or anything small from his vocabulary, he found himself becoming even more self conscious than he had ever intended.

* * *

><p>Heading back up to the suite, Eric found his attempt to lay back and relax only to be destroyed by his visit from Jenny. He knew that he was probably blowing this all out of proportion seeing as he had no claim to her, but the fact that he was the outcast in this world made it hard for him to be secure like the Nate's in this world. His feelings couldn't be ignored and they hadn't been for the most part, but it was the rejection of what he had intended for that night that made it all too painful. He had flirted with the possibility of resorting back to old habits, but he knew he was strong enough and didn't need to stoop that low to feel like he had to sedate himself. Ever since he met Jenny that had been his option on handling the nights alone in the mansions or his mother's affairs that he was sure were going nowhere. Making his way inside the suite, he saw his mother talking with one of her board members so the chance of hanging out in the living room for a bit was out the window as he made his way to his room. Flopping onto the bed, he took his ear buds out of his ears before putting his ipod to the side. Getting lost in thought for a few minutes, he got up off the bed and opened up his dresser drawer before pulling out a small box. Opening up the box, he looked on at the necklace that he had intended to give to her that night. Becoming inspired to just take a leap of faith, Eric had reached over to grab his phone.<p>

"Hi. Uh…I need to send off a package, can someone come up in the next twenty minutes?" Eric asked

* * *

><p>Making her way inside of the Victrola, Blair kept questioning herself as to why she was even here in the first place. She knew deep down that she shouldn't even be at a place like this but if she was going to show that she was serious about this union, then she would have to show that she supported Chuck's business endeavors no matter how sleazy. Entering into the club, she headed over to the bar in desperate need of a drink, and while others had troubles trying to get a beer, she luckily hadn't had that problem since Chuck had been standing behind the bar. Giving a quick dismal to his latest fling, Chuck made his way over towards her and gave her a quick hug as the press came over to take their picture. Scanning around the crowds of people, Chuck had hoped that he would see his father amidst the people attending but had seen no sign of him. Turning his attention back to the brunette, a slight smile came to his face as he had one the battle of luring her into his sleaze trap that she had claimed it to be.<p>

"Where is Jenny?" Chuck asked

"She'll be by to see you tomorrow, I delivered on my end so now you" Blair said

"Do you ever grow tired of the social climbing or dare I say, social stability?" Chuck asked "Enjoy yourself, get lost in all that is Victrola" he told her

"I don't have time to get lost around here, you picked a bad neighborhood to put your strip club in" Blair said

"This is the perfect place to put a burlesque club. People willing to throw hard earned dollars at a flash of breast and a shimmy of an ass, this is a gold mine" Chuck said

"I see you've bonded with the people then" Blair smiled as she finished off her drink

"Another for the lady" Chuck requested

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Blair asked "That won't work on me" she then said

"I want you to be loose for your performance" Chuck said

"What performance?" Blair asked "I got you Humphrey, now you pay up" she told him

"You see, I like to know that the people I do business with are willing to do whatever it takes to close a deal" Chuck said as he moved in closer towards her "So I need to know that your willing to seal the deal" he said before he turned his gaze from her lips to over at the stage where the girls were all ready performing. Taking a moment to think, Blair couldn't imagine getting up on that stage but she couldn't imagine taking a fall in the social rank. Turning towards the bartender, she grabbed her drink that was set out for her and began to take a sip before finally knocking it back

"Than I accept your challenge" Blair replied before turning towards the bartender yet again "Another please" she told him

"Keep them coming for the lady" Chuck smiled

**I got a proposition if you want it**

**If you want it**

**Dare you to let me run some game on ya**

**Game on ya**

**Undress me with your eyes**

**Your in for a surprise**

**What's underneath my exterior**

Their bodies crashed against the door as they both savagely attacked the other lips in an attempt to gain control. He hadn't had much time to prepare for the moment, but figured if he went with the moment than he would be inspired as is. When Serena came in the loft it was apparent that there was one thing on her mind and they wasted no time getting down to business. Her hands roamed down his chest as she began to undo the buttons on his shirt, while he lowered his head and began to kiss her neck. She was unable to hide the smile of pleasure she had written all over her face as without a question he had found her sweet spot. His hands ran down her sides all the way down to the top of her thighs before he leaned down a bit and picked her up, so that her legs were wrapped around his waist as they continued to kiss.

**You do your best to put your name on it**

**Name on it**

**But you could never put your claim on it**

**Claim on it**

**Create your fantasy**

**Which role you wanna be**

**Check the reflection in the mirror**

Normally she would have been overwhelmed with nervousness as there was no way and hell that she would do this in a sober state. The alcohol slowly kicked in as her inhibitions were starting to fade, and the bright lights began to seduce her. She hadn't been dressed as scantly clad like the rest of the girls behind her, but in some ways she felt like she too was without her clothing as she was stripping away the need to be pint up within herself. Going out on the stage, the energy of the crowd soon got to her and as the music came on it just became natural. Looking back at the girls to see their choreography as she copied along with the girls. Putting her hands up in the air, she seductively swayed along with the music.

Coming out from within the crowd of people, Carter took a seat amongst the group of people he had entered with. Hearing the roaring sounds of the crowd, he got up from his seat and made his way down to the stage to see what the fuss was all about. Pulling out a cigar from the inside pocket of his jacket, he quickly lit it on the way to the stage. Taking a quick puff of his cigar, he was quickly surprised to see the last person he would ever think to be up on the stage.

**I know you like it**

**The way I do it private**

**You cant denied it**

**Just wanna please you**

**Blow out you candle in my birthday suit**

**Surprise**

**Just let me make your night**

**I'll do you like you like**

**I'll fulfill your needs**

**Keep your tip this one on me**

Relieving him of his shirt, Serena ran her fingers through his hair as she pulled him in closer towards her as they walked backwards towards his room. Deeping the kiss as he pulled at her waist causing her to lean in to him, they made their way into his room with a bit of a struggle. Pulling her shirt over her head, she threw it to the floor leaving him with enough time to open the door before they entered into his bedroom. Making sure to close the door behind them before she caused them both to fall back on the bed. The heat between them was ready to explode like a volcano as he was more than ready to take this to the next level. Just as he rolled on top of her, his phone began to vibrate. He did his best ignore it becoming more lost in the moment, but the vibration continued.

**You know you want my strip tease**

**If you want it say please**

**You know you want my strip tease**

**If you want it say please**

**You know you want my strip tease**

**If you want it say please**

**You know you want my strip tease**

**If you want it say please**

**I can make it if you want it**

Her shirt fell to the floor and with each movement she was becoming more naked than ever. Placing her foot up on the chair that was supposed to be her prop, she seductively ran her fingers down her leg in a way that caused most of the men in the front row to let out loud cheers. Taking in the feel of the crowd, Carter looked over at Chuck, who was more than appealed with his latest attraction. Slowly rolling down her stalking, Blair gave a seductive grin as she took her finger to her lips and bit down in a playful manner. As she inched down towards the slit of her dress, the tension in the room was ready to explode as the others began to go pull down their dresses. Inching up closer and closer to the stage, Carter hoped that she wouldn't go there because he was almost sure that there were a few classmates in the crowd, who were camera ready and just itching for her to go there as they couldn't wait to post the striptease of Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. Turning around slowly, she peeked over her shoulder as her hand slowly slid the zipper down as the crowd egged her on. Just as she was prepared to pull it down all the way, she was quickly covered up by an out of nowhere Dan Humphrey. Nearly dragging her off the stage, he was met with boo's from the crowd as they were all waiting for her to take it a bit further. Hitting him every step of the way, Dan did his best to keep his cool but he couldn't hide the fact that he was furious with Blair at this moment.

"This has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen you do. Stripping! stripping?" Dan yelled

"Stop yelling at me!" Blair yelled back

"Why? Why shouldn't I yell at you?….because your drunk" Dan said as looked on at her "That's just great" he griped at her

"Go!" Blair screamed at him

"I knew you having any association with Chuck was a bad idea, and you taking your clothes off warrants me yelling at you" Dan scolded her as he just couldn't hold in his anger "You want to be mad and upset with Nate, that's fine, but I guarantee you that he's not as bent out of shape over you. He didn't love you, get over it!" he told her

"I can't just get over it!" Blair said as she hit him on the arm "I loved him….I still love him" she said

"Taking your clothes off won't bring him back, and it sure as hell won't solve anything but you making a fool out of yourself" Dan replied just as Chuck came rushing back stage in a fit of anger

"Humphrey, what the hell is your problem!" Chuck yelled as he shoved Dan

"You liquor her up and put her on the stage, that's real classy on you ass" Dan said shoving Chuck back

"Who the hell told you I was here?" Blair asked as she took one final swipe at him before Carter ran backstage where they were

"I did. It was clear you were drunk, so I thought…" Carter said before Blair quickly slugged him in the face. Hunched over in pain, Carter began to check his mouth for blood "And I see you've got a hell of a left" he said

"Forgot to mention that" Dan said as he pulled Blair back "C'mon, we're getting you home before you do any more damage to your pride and dignity" he said

"Your not taking her anywhere" Chuck stepped in

"Your not my parent!" Blair yelled at Dan while he kept his attention on Chuck

"I'm taking her home, and there is not a damn thing you can do to stop me" Dan threatened Chuck before Chuck let out a slight laugh before he finally punched Dan across the face. Able to catch his balance, Dan quickly tackled Chuck to the floor as he began to punch him continuously. Putting his hand up to block the oncoming punch, Chuck was able to tackle Dan up against a table before he got out a few punches himself.

"Stop it!" Blair yelled at the two boys as they wrestled back and forth for control just as the police made their way backstage to pull them a part

"Finally, you come" Chuck said as he was pulled away by a cop

"What happened?" The officer asked

"This asshole came and disrupted the show. Then he took the girl off the stage and then attacked me" Chuck told the officer

"That's a skewed version of the truth" Carter replied

"Who the hell asked you?" Chuck replied

"And the owner?" The officer asked

"I'm the owner. This is my club and this guy was and is not welcome inside" Chuck said "That's trespassing, so lock his ass up" he yelled

"Chuck, don't do this" Blair tried to reason as the effects of the alcohol were starting to come on

"He trespassed. There isn't much we can do" The officer said as he pulled out his handcuffs as Dan reluctantly turned around with his hands behind his back

"C'mon. He didn't do anything" Carter said to the officer

"I want to press charges, anything I can throw at him, I want to press every damn thing" Chuck said as they put the cuffs on Dan. Looking over at Blair, he couldn't help but show a look of anger and disappointment all wrapped into one that caused her buzz to go down a bit at the sight.

"This isn't necessary" Blair tried to reason as she followed behind the officers that were escorting Dan out

"Let it go Waldorf!" Chuck yelled at her as he grabbed on to her arm while all she could do was watch him be escorted out

* * *

><p>Putting together the packets for Chuck like Blair had asked her to, putting them up in separate manilla folders, she pushed them off to the side of her desk before she finally turned her lamp light off. Looking over at the clock, she realized that she still had a ways to go before her dad would be back and since Dan was out, that left her all by herself. Earlier she had thought that her talk with Eric would have gone better than it did, but she was slowly starting to feel like she was losing him. She couldn't explain what it was that drew her to the world that he hated, but she couldn't deny that there was an attraction there. It was a form of escape to her, an escape from her life…she loved her family but she wasn't sure she was proud of the state of denial they seemed to be in. They had laughed off most of the problem but everyday whenever she had questions about make up or what dress should she buy, the problem was more aware to her. Dan of course tried to remain calm and objective when it came to things but he never really let his emotions out about the subject, now sitting in the silence of her house it just felt overwhelming to the point where she couldn't ignore it anymore. Opening her phone she looked down an the unopened message that was sent, and really thought to herself was this something that she wanted to do and her curiosity seemed to get the best of her as she found herself not only bypassing the message but calling.<p>

"Can I see you?" Jenny said as she came to tears "I just really need to talk to you and I don't want to do it over the phone" she cried

* * *

><p>With his head rested up against the coldness of the brick wall, all he could do was stare on at the cell bars that confined him inside of the box. He hadn't looked at his other cell mates as it didn't really seem to matter to him because the only point was that he was the one in here along with the very person he would probably pass judgment on. At the first hour he was really pissed at Blair to the point where he literally had his speech ready to tell Eleanor as to why he had to quit, then in the second hour he was trying to plot revenge on her in a way that would land in her in jail just like he was, then after he found his lack of scheming no good, he then began to come to the realization of being stuck. The concept of being stuck was so infuriating and frustrating that as much as he wanted to get out of this jail cell, he just couldn't. It in the third and fourth hour began to sink in to him. So sitting in deep concentration, he was torn out of his reverie by the guards jingling keys opening up the jail cell, while a few people within the cell looked on with much hope that it was for them.<p>

"Daniel Humphrey. You're free to leave" The guard said before Dan got up from his seat and reached over to grab his jacket before heading out of the cell. He wondered how he was bailed out when the both times that he had tried to call his dad had both went to voicemail and since his dad was probably getting off later on in the morning, he figured he'd spend about another three hours in that concentration. Coming out of the police station, he was just happy to be out in the environment once again rather than in confinement but he was quickly torn away from his happiness once he saw the brunette standing, waiting for him. Unable to control the fact that he clearly saw her, he hesitantly walked up towards her until they were just standing face to face with each other. Just standing and looking at each other, they both were silent for a few moments unsure as to what they should say to each other.

"My dad had a few friends in the police department, so I was able to get you out….without it going on your record by the way. It was charged as a simple misunderstanding" Blair said hesitantly as Dan remained silent unsure as to what he should say "I wouldn't usually say this, but you can say something right now…like a thank you or…" she said before Dan cut her off

"Thank you? You got me in here in the first place" Dan replied in disbelief

"I didn't get you in here" Blair replied in her defense "I didn't need you to come to my rescue, and I didn't tell you to hit Chuck" she said

"Your unbelievable? I mean is that hard for you to just accept the fact that you were wrong in this situation. You were wrong for getting so messed up that you got up on stage, and willingly stripped down in front of a bunch of people that happened to include Chuck Bass, who on his own should have made you run screaming for help…"Dan told her as tears came to her eyes

"Because contrary to what you may think on how I should get over it, I can't just get over it. I can't get over him, and I tried, clearly failing at it" Blair told him as the tears welled up in her eyes "I've been erratic all week long because as much as I want to, I can't get over a boy that I loved practically since I was in grade school" she said "So I'm sorry if I have to listen to the Celine Dion classics, cut faces out of pictures or firing the courier for saying his a name" she told him

"Are you finished?" Dan asked

"Yes" Blair replied

"While I was in the quote on quote slammer, I went through my own stages. First, I was ready to quit…" Dan said before she cut him off

"Getting you put in jail would make you quit? Its strange the things you learn after the fact" Blair said to herself but it was loud enough for Dan to hear

"Okay, your completely missing the point" Dan told her

"Continue…" Blair said

"I can't, I mean the moment was there but then you…" Dan said before she interrupted

"No, no. I just…it won't happen again. Just continue" Blair said as she motioned to show that she was going to keep her mouth zipped

"What I was trying to say was that I understand how you feel now. While I was jail, I wanted to get out and get beyond the bars but I knew I couldn't. No matter how much I wanted to, I had to accept the fact that I was stuck and that hopefully I would get past the bars" Dan told her "So I'm sorry for saying that you need to get over it" he apologized "Your stuck now, but I assure you won't be. There is going to be a guy out there that will love you back the same way you love him, there is someone that will love you Blair Waldorf and right now it hurts but love is still very much a possibility for you" he told her

"Your comparing my emotional state to you stint in the big house?" Blair questioned as Dan just shook his head in disbelief as he just walked past her while she followed behind. "Did you really mean that?" she asked

"Yes, unfortunately" Dan replied before he stopped to look at her "I meant what I said" he said

"So you take back your opinion on the Celine Dion songs?" Blair asked

"No, I keep my opinion on that" Dan laughed "Look, lets get you home before it leaks that you were stripping and that I was put in jail" he told her

"I wasn't stripping" Blair quickly replied

"Well relieving yourself of clothes, whatever makes it sound ladylike…lets just get you home" Dan replied said before he offered her his jacket

"I'm not wearing that. It looks like something you got at Target" Blair complained as he just ignored her comments and put the jacket around her

"Do you want me to put your arms in or will you just do it voluntarily?" Dan asked as she glared at him while placing her arms in the sleeves of the jacket "There, chivalry still exists" he said before he began to walk towards the street

"How are we getting back?" Blair asked

"How do you think?" Dan told her before he put his hand up to flag down a taxi

"Oh, you can forget it" Blair said before they continued on with their bickering, but eventually she ended up getting inside the taxi much to her dismay

* * *

><p>After a nice long hot shower, he was able to get the grime of being in jail off of him. It had been a long night, and with much bickering on the way over to Waldorf's penthouse, he was just glad to finally be at his own home and in his own room rather than in jail. His dad had mentioned the voicemails but he played like he was playing a joke in his father and wanted to see how he would have reacted to him being in jail, though he bought the story, his dad looked at him strangely for thinking that was a joke that would be funny to him. Putting his shirt on as he finished up getting dressed, he looked over at his laptop as if he were thinking of something as he continued to stare on at the screen. Making his way over towards his lap top, he opened it up and immediately began to sift through some of his songs before he finally found one that she may particularly like and would stop Celine Dion being on constant rotation over at the Waldorf penthouse. Opening up his e-mail account, he put her name and then attached the song under attachments.<p>

"Now here's a song that should be on repeat, and might help you" Dan said as he wrote in his message to her before he finally sent the e-mail. Leaning back in his chair he thought to himself and just shook his head over the craziness of the day

Looking on at the final picture, she found this picture a little hard to put away in a box under trash because so much of this memory still remained with her. She'd be lying if she denied the thought that she didn't see a forever with Nate, she honestly felt like they were going to get married and be that fairytale that she wanted so much to believe in. She wanted to believe that a love so pure and undeniable could exist, that when things were right they were just right, like the balance was perfect in the ways that didn't have to make sense to anyone but the two of you…she thought a love like that existed with them, but it hurt even more to finally come to the realization that it didn't. She questioned where his heart belonged, but it was something she needed to leave be because it wouldn't have done her any good to know the location of it now. She had to let go, and it had to begin now. Hearing a beep from her e-mail, Blair walked over to see the message that was sent from Dan. Immediately rolling her eyes at the fact that he always seemed to be around even in different forms, she opened the message up. Laughing at the fact that he honestly thought he could give her musical advice, she did become intrigued to hear his choice selection as moments passed.

"Okay, I'll try your Natash Beddingfield" Blair said to herself "A little too much" she went on to read the title before she played the song.

**Sometimes it hits like a car crash,**

**And its too late too reverse**

**Sometimes you make me a better person,**

**Sometimes you bring out the worst**

The taxi pulled up in front of the familiar place and for a moment she looked on truly questioning her decision, but knew she had come to far to turn back now. Getting out of the car she slowly made her way up the stairs just thinking over and over what she was going to say as this visit was as unexpected to her. Knocking on the door, she waited a few minutes before she knocked again, beginning to shake her head in disbelief she knew that this wasn't the best thing to do. Turning immediately to head back towards the sidewalk to flag down another taxi, she was soon caught off guard when the door opened. Looking back slowly, she turned to see the woman dressed in her robe.

"Jenny" The woman said "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" the woman asked as she was still half asleep

"I got your voicemail, but I thought you would have checked it by now" Jenny said "But it doesn't matter now" she said nervously as she began to play with her fingers before finally building up her confidence to say what she had been wanting to say "Its time for you to come home mom" she then told her mother

**Sometimes we get on like fire**

**Sometimes we stopping like rain**

**Just when I think that its over,over**

**You wave a white flag again**

Entering the shop, he was well aware of the fact that all the attention had turned towards him but he was well aware of that fact and if he were honest, he was happy that he had the attention. He had strived to be a strong figure in this town, and he had to start by making people recognize who he was. The clerks immediately greeted him with a smile as they were more than prepared to serve and cater to his every wish.

"What can we get for you Mr. Bass?" The clerk asked

"I'm looking for a necklace, preferably something simple" Chuck replied as the clerk just smiled on at him "I'm trying to impress my latest girl of choice" he smiled

**Aah..aah**

**We fall out then we fall back in**

**Aah..aah**

**We're always back where we begin**

Looking at his computer a bit longer, he half expected her to write him back giving a bit of feedback on his choice song but he knew her acknowledging the fact that he was right on something would nearly kill her. Laughing to himself for a few moments, he was soon torn away from his thoughts when he heard his dad call out his name. Turning his computer on sleeper mode, he immediately rushed out to see his dad grabbing the rubber gloves from the drawer.

"Uh oh, what'd you do?" Dan asked as walked over to grab his gloves

"I was trying to balance the mail with the trash bag, and I accidentally sent both down the shoot" Rufus said to his son "And I saw this package that I'm hoping was my collectors dvd that Paul was sending back to me" he said as they made their way out of the loft

"You mean that old footage of you back in the day playing on the road?" Dan asked

"Yes, that old footage that is still very much relevant to me" Rufus replied

"Good luck getting that back" Dan laughed

**Everybody hurts just a little too much**

**Everybody hurts but its never enough**

**Its wonderful to fall**

**Let's love and risk it all**

**I'd rather love just a little too much**

Acknowledging the overall message of the song, Blair wasn't ready to give up on love quite yet like she had thought before. She hoped that like the song that she would love a little too much rather than her doomed epiphany of being lucky to find it in the first place. Not ready to stop moping quite yet, she was embracing another day of mourning but not the relationship but love lost while mixing in the possibility of love to come. Grabbing the Dan's jacket that she ended up coming home with, she had to admit that it was more comfortable than she had imagined but she would never let him know because she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right about something. Putting the jacket on, she zipped it all the way up before she turned the volume up on her laptop that was now connected to her stereo system. Prancing, and dancing around her room, she grabbed her remote control and used it as her microphone as she sang along with the chorus. Hopping up on the bed she just jumped up and down on the bed, just singing along to the song. Opening up the door after hearing so much noise come from her room, Dorota peeked in on the brunette to see unlike the sad and depressing songs she was listening to over the loss of her relationship, she couldn't help but smile at the young woman who was beginning to get back to being a bit of happy and listening to something that didn't sound like death was near, but listening to something that gave hope for that future love that would make her believe in that fairytale she longed for.

**Author's Note 2: **

**Songs used were: Danity Kane- Striptease. Natasha Beddingfield- A little too much.**


	8. Seventeen Candles

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long but studying for finals and writing papers for classes, but rest assure it'll all come to a soon by next Tuesday. Writing this length of a story is time consuming, but do realize that there will be grammar mistakes. I do try to read as I'm writing to make sure not to, but perfection is something I've long realized I will never acheive. So please cut me some slack in that area not to say that I've gotten any flack from you guys but for future reasons. I hope you like this chapter and do read the second Author's note as I will give up some clues as to where your faves might be heading after this read, I have friends that read this story and they have requested some spoilers as they call it...so I'll try to keep them vague for those who don't want spoilers. I have gotten a lot of requests of if I plan on doing season two as well, and I guess my response would be according to how you guys feel towards the end. I guess I'll let the people, reviewers decide what they want towards the end. So, I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter Eight- Seventeen Candles**

_Episode Summary: Devastated by the current state of her relationship with Nate and still dealing with the guilt from her recent indiscretion, Blair puts on a happy face for her 17th birthday party and attempts to hide the truth from her friends. Hoping to ease the tension between Serena and Vanessa, Dan takes Vanessa to Blair's party so the girls can have some bonding time, but this only ends up making Serena more uncomfortable. Jenny brings her mom home for a surprise visit, but Rufus may not be ready to forgive and forget. Nate's parents ask him to make a huge sacrifice in an effort to salvage his father's business as he faces charges of embezzlement and fraud._

* * *

><p>Looking himself over one more time in the mirror, Dan found himself trying more than anything to be something. He had his bouts with the Upper East Side lifestyle but he never thought that'd he'd be flirting with it as much as he did. Hearing the sounds of honking horn coming from downstairs, he quickly grabbed his jacket before he ran passed his sister and father, making a quick exit out of the loft. Coming down the stairs slowly so that he wouldn't slip and start off the night on a bad note, he wanted to make sure that every precaution was taken so that he wouldn't have to spend yet another moment in jail. Being around Blair Waldorf for one night had sent him into overdrive when it came to always taking that extra step, and no matter how many times she skirted around her apologies, he knew to always be on guard when it came to her. Stepping out on to the side walk, Dan was taken a back to see Carter dressed as if he were some sort of movie star with his black leather jacket that matched along with his black v-neck shirt that only compliment his perfectly spiked hair. These kids were perfection in the physical sense he thought to himself and in that moment he could probably make a case to say that he was checking another guy out but not in the sexual or pleasing manner.<p>

"What's with the limo?" Dan asked

"I told you I was taking you out, well what's going out without taking a limo in New York" Carter laughed

"Maybe its called the subway" Dan replied

"And usually I would go along with that seeing as I'm not your typical trust fund kid, but its not everyday that I get to bring someone into this destructive life that we call the land of the privileged" Carter said

"Then why call it that. I thought you were all anti-trust fund kid?" Dan asked

"I so very much am, but tonight. I'm going to make an exception…and don't come back with the whole I thought you were this line…live a little Humphrey. Let your hair down as they say" Carter told him as they walked over to the limo

"I've let my hair down before and I believe it got cut off. I lived a little and punched Chuck Bass, then landed in jail. I don't need anymore living it up moments" Dan said

"I'm starting to understand why everyone thinks your so PG" Carter replied

"I mean I feel like your literally going to tell me you have a curfew that you have to abide by" Carter said

"Actually…" Dan began to speak before Carter interrupted him

"Do not answer that. Just shut up and come with me. Leave Dan at home tonight, bring Humphrey. Tonight I want to go out with Humphrey. Humphrey is open minded and willing to try new things" Carter said "Do not enter the limo less in case your Humphrey" he told him

"Humphrey is…" Dan was about to say before Carter cut him off

"Humphrey, I swear if you reply with a smart ass comment….just suspend reasoning for the night, can you do that?" Carter asked him hoping that Dan would comply

"Fine. Tonight, I'm Humphrey" Dan agreed as he got into the limo with Carter following behind

"Now that we've covered the guidelines, shall we get a buzz?" Carter asked just wanting to get a rise out of Dan "I'm joking" he then laughed as he reached over to grab the champagne bottle "But I do intend to at least get a little buzz because Humphrey…I'm going to show you New York the way your supposed to see it and how you will see it for now on" he smiled before reached over to turn the radio up while all Dan could do was laugh at ridiculous Carter was being. Though he wasn't eager to step out of his comfort zone, Dan was eager to see this world that Carter spoke of, live this life that had so many pleasures but yet held so much destruction. He was ready to experience New York in its entirety.

**New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of**

**There's nothin' you can't do**

**Now you're in New York**

**These streets will make you feel brand new**

**Big lights will inspire you**

**Let's hear it for New York, New York,New York**

Doing what he had seen on the movies, Dan couldn't help but embrace the typical standing up through the sun roof looking on at the lights of Times Square. The mood full of laughter and fun, Carter poured himself another glass of champagne as he was glad to see that Dan or Humphrey as he came to call him was finally loosening up and enjoying himself. Putting his face up against the glass to make stupid faces, Carter got a few laughs from the limo beside them as they both were in no mood to impress anyone but themselves. Coming down from the sun roof, Dan grabbed his glass of champagne before he knocked it back in one quick motion that made Carter laugh. Swaying along to the music, Dan knew that he had no rhythm but it didn't matter to him because nothing was supposed to matter and it was a motto that he was embracing fully. Pointing out at all the different play signs from the lights of the Lion King Billboard to the glistening lights of the Jersey Boys, he swore there was no other scene like it in all of the world.

**Lights is blinding, girls need blinders**

**so they can step out of bounds quick, **

**the sidelines islined with casualties,**

**who sip to life casually**

**then gradually become worse, **

**don't bite the apple eve**

**Caught up in the in-crowd, **

**now you're in styleAnna Wintour gets cold,**

**in Vogue with your skin out**

Opening the door to the studio, Dan couldn't help but look on at the world that Eleanor had involved herself with. Models that he had seen pinned on Jenny's wall were all throughout the room in hopes of making the final cut of getting in on Eleanor's new line. With files on top of files in his hands, he scanned the room to find his boss but he had to admit that he wasn't desperately searching for her as the eye candy was a bit pleasing to him. Making his way through the room, squeezing through the groups of models that passed around small tubes in some circles. Dan looked on at the small tubes that had caused a few to rush off to the restrooms in a bit of familiarity, it was as if he had seen the very tube before. Smiling in relief to see the young man, Eleanor walked up and grabbed the files before she quickly flung her arms around him in praise. Walking back over towards the table with the rest of her team, she waved him over as she went back to talking with her team, instructing them on the notes that were within the files that Dan himself had put together. Introducing him to the team, they all looked on with smiles on their faces at the young man before she left them in his hands. Feeling a bit like a fish out of water, Dan stood unaware as to how he was suppose to handle the matter. Glancing over to the corner of the room, he was met by Eleanor's eyes that urged him to talk and speak up, own the fact that he was a brilliant young mind.

**City of sin, **

**it's a pity on the wind**

**Good girls gone bad, **

**the city's filled with them**

**Mami took a bus trip, **

**now she got her bust out**

**Everybody ride her, **

**just like a bus route**

**Hail Mary to the city, **

**you're a virgin**

**And Jesus can't save you, **

**life starts when the church end**

Still in awe of the fact that they were able to swing courtside seats to the Knicks basketball game at the Madison Square Garden, Dan cheered on with Carter as they both intensely watched the on going action of the players on the court. Standing up in a slightly crouched position, Carter slipped the a fifty to the concession guy for two beers and two hot dogs while Dan looked on to make sure that they weren't being watched. In his mind set he feared being caught but to someone like Carter, being caught was the last thing on their mind as they had access to anything and everything. Taking a bite out of his hot dog while trying to balance his beer, the two went back to their intense cheering of the hometown team. Erupting with the crowd as the Knicks had taken the lead in the game for the first time of the night, Dan and Carter celebrated with a few of the people that they were sitting by, caught off guard by the site of Spike Lee sitting in the same area as him, Dan nearly fainted as he found himself celebrating with Spike, who was a known Knicks lover.

**Came here for school, **

**graduated to the high life**

**Ball players, **

**rap stars, **

**addicted to the limelight**

**MDMA got you feelin' like a champion**

**The city never sleeps,**

**better slip you an Ambien**

Looking down at his note cards all the while as he was trying to conceal the fact that he had a nasty hang over that he just couldn't shake, Dan delivered the points of speech as best as he could just trying to keep his composure. Playing with her pen as she looked on at him, Blair couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief that he was actually hung over and still managing to make sense. Most kids in this school could hardly hide the fact that they were hung over in regular classes, but for advanced placement classes it would serve you best to just skip that day because you were sure to be found out. Glaring at the boy, she found that not only had his speech and his points beat out her earlier points on the matter, but he had showed her up even more so when it came to the teacher and the headmistress. He had to be running on pure luck, she thought to herself as his usual clumsiness had managed to subside to where the shining moments within him were on full display for everyone said. The ending of his speech was met by a thunderous applause as Dan played off the crowd and found himself surprised that people had actually bought his bs, heading back to his seat, he looked over to see Blair glaring at him and even though he wasn't proud of the fact that he was hung over, he was glad that he had beat Blair out. Giving her a quick face that read 'Top that' written all over it, Dan couldn't hide the smirk that was coming to his face as he looked at the brunette.

**New York, **

**concrete jungle where dreams are made of**

**There's nothin' you can't do**

**Now you're in New York**

**These streets will make you feel brand new**

**Big lights will inspire you**

**Let's hear it for New York, New York,New York**

Rolling on top of the blonde haired girl, Dan smiled down at Serena as he couldn't help but feel like he was living out a dream by making out with Serena van der Woodsen. Pulling away for a moment to see why he was all smiles, Serena just laughed as he had this goofy look on his face as he looked down at her. With a smile from ear to ear, Serena pulled his lips down to hers as she rolled back on top of him to regain control of the current make out session they were enjoying. Books falling to the floor but that held no concern to the young man as nothing was more important than feeling her lips against his. His hands ran up the sides of her body causing instant pleasure for the both of them as it was still a dream come true to touch the very dream girl he had on his mind since he was a mere adolescent boy wishing for one gaze from the blonde. Hearing the sound of his father entering into the loft, unknowingly making a knee jerk reaction, Dan accidentally pushed Serena off of him that caused her to fall to the floor. Sitting up in the bed, his eyes darted down to the laughing blonde then over to his bedroom door that was cracked just enough for him to peek outside to the living room area. Resting his head up against the headboard of his bed while he listened on to the laughter coming from the ground, he couldn't help but join in on the laughter.

* * *

><p>All he could hear ringing clearly in his head were her razor sharp insults she spewed out at him as they descended the staircase, doing his best not to laugh at today's tragedy that had become of her upcoming birthday celebration. Blair Waldorf had always been known to throw lavish birthday parties or so that's what Serena had told him, but to experience first hand as far as the planning of it was beyond crazy. It was no surprise that Eleanor had made the expenses for the party on an unlimited, with no restriction in sight. So far it had been going smoothly for him on booking and planning whatever she wanted or needed for the party, but the current road block had sent the brunette into a fit of panic. Taking a seat at the table, Dan ran his hand through his hair as he just listened on and on to the constant critiquing. Turning his attention over towards her, Blair nearly stopped in mid sentence as she could see that she had finally got through to him the fact that she was pissed. Not wanting to back down the slightest, they both glared at each other while all Dorota could do was hope that they wouldn't kill each other. Dan looked as if he was trying to keep his cool, and Blair was just trying to show that she was still very much in charge around here, regardless if her mother put him in charge of running her party.<p>

"Are you finished or do you just want to keep yapping?" Dan asked her

"Need I remind you the role of employer and employee, so mind the tude" Blair told him "Now explain to me how you manage to screw up something that only consisted of you handing over a check. You, check, placing in Riaverte's hand…that's all, but you screwed that up" she then went on to say

"And like I told you before, I am sorry" Dan replied "I have found you another cake with the same…" he said before she interrupted

"It couldn't be the same because its not coming from Riaverte. Do you not understand the fact that Riaverte is the best, the best in the east coast when it comes to designing memorable cakes" Blair said

"It's just a cake. People are not going to remember the cake" Dan reasoned

"In your simple mind you wouldn't, but I will remember the cake because it is not the cake that I wanted" Blair scolded him "I specifically had a cake in mind, but instead your giving me some half ass cake that you probably saw on sale at your local grocery store" she said

"For your information, I busted my ass trying to get you your perfect cake. I have called just about every bakery in town to do this on such late notice. I've found one and it'll be the same design but only a seven layered as opposed to the ten because it's a last minute thing" Dan replied

"I'm not understanding why I have to suffer for your inability to multi task" Blair told him

"Multi task? I've done nothing but multi task when its come to this stupid party. You just need to stop expecting things to be perfect" Dan said

"Oh, this is classic" Blair laughed to herself "Just because you managed to hide the fact that you were hung over in class doesn't make you some zen master now. If this party is a disaster, I will nail you to the wall" she threatened

"I'm sure you'll do it anyways" Dan replied

"Because somehow I know you will eventually screw something else up" Blair then fired back just as Eleanor came out of her office looking to enjoy a snack on her break but was only met by the bickering between Dan and Blair.

"Children. Children. Children" Eleanor clapped at them to get their attention before they turned to look at her "Now, tell me the problem?" she asked

"Judas here…..is trying to sabotage my party" Blair stated

"Judas?" Dan said in disbelief "I'm not trying to sabotage your party, I have better things to worry about than to sabotage your party" he said

"Hmmm, let me see what registers in the realm of worry for Dan Humphrey….gee golly, I wonder if Serena still likes me" Blair imitated Dan

"I don't even talk like that to begin with" Dan said "Second, there was a mix up with Giaverte because he thought he was making a lavender, red velvet cake with black polka dots on the outside instead of the crème, red velvet cake. So I called around and got a local bakery in Soho…thank you very much, to do the same cake but with seven layers as opposed to the ten" he explained to Eleanor

"Excellent Daniel" Eleanor smiled at him as Blair looked on in disbelief

"So he can screw up specific instructions then half ass put something together…and he gets an excellent Daniel?….do you not see where something is wrong with that?" Blair complained

"You have a cake, that's the important thing" Eleanor reasoned

"Okay, whatever….I'm beyond the cake, even though Humphrey failed to do the one thing…." Blair said

"One thing? You had like sixty things for the party that you wanted done" Dan quickly replied as the bickering then ensued between them once more as both Eleanor and Dorota just sighed in frustration

"Your such a suck up!" Blair picked at him

"Your such a cry baby" Dan replied

"Children!" Eleanor yelled as she was just another added noise in the bickering. Hearing the bell from within the kitchen that signaled that a visitor was coming up, Dorota made her way to the elevator to greet the guest.

"We have a guest" Dorota introduced as everyone turned their attention towards the blonde haired woman standing beside Dorota. To Blair and Eleanor she was a stranger, but for Dan it was a shock all the way around.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Eleanor asked trying to recall who this woman was before a moment of silence came between them all while Dan just stood motionless. Figuring that it was no one that neither her or her mother knew, Blair looked over at Dan to see that he somehow had some sort of connection to the woman. By the way he looked, she didn't need to hear the confirmation to know who she was because she had figured it out

"It's Humphrey's mother" Blair replied breaking the silence

"Oh, well…it's nice to meet you. My name is Eleanor…" Eleanor said stepping forward to greet the woman

"I know who you are. My name is Alison by the way" The woman interrupted nervously "My daughter idolizes you" she said turning her attention over towards her son

"Oh, well I have to meet this daughter of yours" Eleanor smiled still feeling the tension in the room before she looked back to see that Dan still stood motionless "Why don't we go in my office and finish up the rest of the details on your party. We have yet to pick out the photographer…so lets do that" she said grabbing a hold of Blair's hand as they headed into her office.

"I talked to your dad, he said you were working for some Eleanor Waldorf…I googled and thought I'd come by to see you" Alison said nervously as Dan just stood emotionless "Jenny kind of surprised me when she popped up in Hudson….we starting talking and I just thought that….Danny will you say something?" she asked just trying to spark up a conversation between them

"I have to go" Dan replied as he walked passed his mother in a rush

"Are you heading back to the loft? I can come with you" Alison said turning to look at him "I'm sure Jenny told your dad that I was here, and…" she said

"No. I just….just give me some time to….process" Dan said just as the elevator doors opened up and he quickly boards

* * *

><p>Checking her phone, she prepared herself for the backlash of when Dan would soon discover that she had single handedly managed to get their mother to come home. She figured that since he hadn't called so far that he was still unaware of the fact, a part of her wanted to stick around the loft so that her mom wouldn't feel so out of place in her own home but with the Blair being a hot mess about her party, she had to tend to the other assigned task that she had put for Jenny. Entering into the lobby, Jenny couldn't help but still be in awe of the very place Chuck's father had hosted the brunch, then again since the Bass family lived at the Plaza, it really wasn't that big of a surprise that they would live in such a beautiful hotel. Making her way through the crowd of people, she headed towards the restaurant, where Chuck had told her to meet him. She hadn't heard much about Chuck Bass, but she knew that he was definitely a man of expensive taste and loved the lifestyle more than anyone of the Upper Eastside. Out of all the student in 's and even Constance, he had all ready achieved success with the opening of his burlesque club that had recently opened. Not too many of the girls in class caught his attention, but then again he liked his ladies to be nothing more than a one night stand. His style did leave her wondering if he was batting for the other team but with his many girls, he had put that rumor to rest quickly. Nervously walking up towards him, she did her best not to show how nervous she was but she couldn't help how transparent it was.<p>

"Jenny Humphrey" Chuck smiled as he got up from his seat to pull out her chair "I had the thought that you were going to stand me up, but I'm glad you proved me wrong" he said as he made his way back over to his seat

"No, I wouldn't do that. Blair would have killed me" Jenny said as she rummaged through her bag to pull out the manilla envelope before she put it on the table "Everything you need is in this folder, so you should be covered for the next week up until midterms" she told him

"Okay, and what exactly is this? I mean I've missed so much of class that I'm not even sure which ones I'm in anymore" Chuck smiled

"Uh, its Trig, French, Debate, and English Lit" Jenny told him

"And yet the only thing I'm sure I'm passing is lunch" Chuck joked "What classes do you take?" he then asked as he went through the papers

"I'm at Constance, but I don't take the classes you take…seeing as I'm a freshmen" Jenny replied "I do love my Women's studies class" she then added

"Feminists in training is what I come to call it" Chuck laughed "Mr. Gardkowsky is the teacher, isn't he?" he then asked

"Yes, sitting in the front row is hazardous to your health" Jenny joked

"Yeah, well…Gardkowsky can be bought" Chuck smiled as he opened up his napkin to put on his lap

"You buy answers from Mr. Gardkowsky?" Jenny asked a bit surprised by the statement of just how privileged he was

"No, but my father went to school with him and the pledged the same frat…so staying true to brotherhood can be challenging at times" Chuck laughed

"I bet….just how much access do you guys have? I mean Blair is Queen Bee and practically owns every person. Serena, every designer nearly begs her to wear the one of kinds, and then there is you…what's your deal?" Jenny asked

"I like to think I'm a collector of the finer things" Chuck smiled devilishly as he took a sip of his water before he reached over to put a black box on the table "I have a gift for you, a token of my appreciation for all the work you've done for me" he said

"I think it'd be better served if you give that to Blair, I mean she told me to do it…you two would be cute by the way in some odd ball sort of deal" Jenny said as Chuck just laughed

"Blair is too rigid for my tastes, that would never happen" Chuck replied as he slid the box towards her "But I want you to have this, I picked it out for you" he smiled "And according to you, us privileged have so much access…so I want you to access this gift I've bought for you" he told her

"That was extremely corny" Jenny laughed

"I know, and I usually hate the idiot that says the corny lines, but I felt it was necessary at this point with you" Chuck said "So will you do me the honor?" he laughed

"Are you going to keep pushing this?" Jenny then asked

"Pretty much, I'm very persistent…you have to be in business" Chuck said

"That I'm well aware of, but its just so expensive and something that you wouldn't normally see in Brooklyn" Jenny said as she opened the box to see the necklace

"Oh c'mon, its simplicity at its best" Chuck said "Now that you've thought of every excuse in the book, will you please just take this" he said

"Fine. I'll take it" Jenny said as she grabbed the box and once again looked on in awe of the necklace like it was something you'd see on royalty

"You've got your access into this world, you should enjoy it…you'd be surprised the fun you'd have" Chuck smiled

* * *

><p>When he had got home last night he had pretty much locked himself away in his room with the occasional knock from Jenny and his father, but for the most part he had been left to himself. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about his mother's appearance because a part of him wanted to see this as an opportunity to fix their family like he had wanted, but he just couldn't deny the part of him that was so unsure about everything, the part that wanted to hide from the problem that he knew existed. For so long they had laughed their way around the void of his mother, but they never truly discussed the fact that all though they laughed…the void was still there. His mom hadn't dared take the chance of staying at the loft so she had taken up residency or at least stayed at some motel. He did his all in all just to block out everything involving his mother and tried to get back to his skewed version of normal for him. Coming out of the class with an overjoyed Blair following behind, Dan walked over to Serena as she waited for him by the lockers.<p>

"And I think with this quiz score, this puts me ahead of you Humphrey" Blair smiled happily as she leaned up against the lockers

"Whatever" Dan sighed as he leaned in to give Serena a quick kiss on the lips "How was your day?" he asked

"It was eventful, I guess. You don't seem like your having such a great day" Serena said with concern for her boyfriend

"Oh, that's because Humphrey here is lagging in the only purpose of him being at this school" Blair smiled

"No, really…what's wrong with you?" Serena asked

"It's nothing. It's the quiz like Waldorf said" Dan lied

"So a quiz has this sort of effect on you?" Serena asked as she looked at him quizzically

"Yes. I'm a certified nerd on all accounts" Dan told her

"You go past nerd Humphrey" Blair added

"Is there really a point to you tormenting me at school? I mean lets forget the fact that I have to see you later on in the day" Dan turned to tell Blair

"Until my cake is rectified to be Giaverte original, consider yourself a target anywhere, and everywhere" Blair replied

"Of course because you have nothing better to do" Dan replied a little irritated with Blair before he eventually walked off, leaving the two girls behind. Serena looked on with much concern, but it didn't seem to phase Blair that he was irritated with her or even grumpy because she was used to be on his bad side regardless

"Okay, what's up with him?" Serena asked

"Haven't you heard? The country is in a recession, penny pinching must be catching up to Humpty Humphrey" Blair replied

"Blair, can you not make fun of him for one second? I'm really concerned about him" Serena said

"Don't be" Blair said as she went to texting

"Really, Blair?" Serena asked in disbelief to how insensitive her friend was being

"Dan isn't a guy that is going to sit down and tell you his feelings. You have to let him stew and be an ass, all the while you treat him the same so he won't feel like a mouse in a case study. Plain and simple, let him work it out on his own" Blair told her

"And what exactly does he need to work out?" Serena asked

"Why do I feel like the in between girl in your relationship with the pauper, its becoming a bit disturbing" Blair sighed "Humphrey's mother is back in town" she said

"And why is that such a bad thing?" Serena asked not understanding why that made him so upset

"Because Humphrey doesn't exactly have the dazzling mother and son relationship you'd think the lower class would have" Blair said

"I like you always fuse in the insult with the bit of information I need" Serena replied sarcastically

"Maybe you should just play your role as the supportive girlfriend, and leave at that" Blair suggested

"We can't just let him stew in this, he clearly needs to talk to someone" Serena said

"Excuse me, what? When did a you situation become a we situation?" Blair asked

"You clearly know more about him than I do at the moment due to the fact that you see each other constantly, I just figured that you could talk to him…without the insults…and then he'll feel better" Serena suggested as Blair just looked on at her friend like that was the dumbest thing she had ever heard

"I know you like to play blonde, but what part of that plan was a good idea or suggestion?" Blair asked "He's your latest fling, you deal with it" she told her as she attempted to walk away but Serena had caught hold of her arm

"Yes, but you apparently know the subject at hand, and then you have this way of frustrating him so much that he's forced into talking" Serena said

"This doesn't make sense. You say don't insult him, but yet you want me to frustrate him. This is exactly why I don't want to get involved" Blair said

"Not even for me?" Serena asked

"Not even for you. I'm sorry S, but if Humphrey wants to be a grump then let him be a grump" Blair said

"Not even for my one of kind Dior clutch that will go perfectly with your dress at your birthday party?" Serena asked as Blair took a moment to think, realizing that Serena was now fighting dirty

"Luckily for you, finding out people's problems are my specialties" Blair quickly changed her mind as Serena just shook her head in disbelief

"I can't believe you" Serena said unable to hold back her laughter

"What? He screwed up my cake, I owe him nothing" Blair replied as they linked arms and made their way down the hallway

* * *

><p>Glad that today's boredom fest was coming to an end, Eric thought over in his head the plan of action for this afternoons task of things he wanted to do since his mother was going to be gone for most of the weekend. Serena had been in and out due to the fact that she had a boyfriend, when Serena had a boyfriend it basically meant that they preoccupied most of her time, but he could tell that with this one it was different. She had changed her ways and was truly on the path of changing and wanting to be more than what people had come to know her as. It wasn't easy being her younger brother, but there were times where he welcomed the last name, but only a very few amount of times. Heading over to his locker to put away his book, he glanced over to see Jenny coming down the hallway. Usually her coming down the hallways was her coming to wait for him outside of his class, but since they were hardly speaking at the time being, her coming down the hallway just meant nothing to him until he couldn't help but notice a gold chain around her neck. Looking on intently, trying not to make it so obvious that he was looking, a smile slowly came to his face as he noticed that she had his necklace on, of course it wasn't all the way out but he still couldn't stop smiling that she was actually wearing his necklace. Closing his locker, he quickly ran over towards where she was, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be upset with her all together.<p>

"Hey" Eric said stopping dead in his tracks in hopes that it didn't look that obvious that he ran over to talk to her

"Hey" Jenny said trying to figure out for herself if he had ran over or not

"So….uh, how have you been?" Eric asked her

"I've been lonerish" Jenny replied "You?" she then asked

"Lonerish, huh? Just how lonerish were you?" Eric asked her as the two just smiled at each other

"I'm glad your not mad at me anymore" Jenny smiled as she leaned forward to give him a hug "I have so much to tell you" she said as they began to walk down the hallway

"Oh, have you gotten any new items lately?" Eric asked hoping to break the ice for her

"Not of recent" Jenny said "But I did have an unexpected visitor, well not unexpected because I wanted it to come…its not really an it, its…" she babbled on before Eric cut her off

"I know we like to talk about everything, but I don't think us talking about your menstrual cycle is such a good thing" Eric said before Jenny hit him on the arm

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about my mom, my mom is back" Jenny told him

"That's great…I think" Eric replied "I thought your mom lived up in Hudson?" he asked

"She does, but I went up to see her and convinced her that she needed to come home" Jenny said

"That was bold" Eric commented

"Bold? Eric, it was gutsy. I mean it was a last minute thing and I just felt like…." Jenny said before Eric interrupted

"That you wanted to talk to your mother, but doing it over the phone wouldn't do. Then on your way over there you realized that you needed her more than just a one time thing" Eric filled in

"Exactly!" Jenny replied "How did you know?" she asked

"I know you very well Jenny Humphrey" Eric smiled

"I'm just glad that we can stop pretending now, and finally go back to what we used to be" Jenny told him

"And what makes you so sure that her visit is going to change that?" Eric asked

"Because once she see's how good we are as a family then she'll hate to leave. Everything is going to just fall in to place and all will be fine" Jenny smiled

"And what's the back up plan, you know, the just in case everything doesn't fall in to place?" Eric asked

"They will. I mean sure…Dan will probably be against it, but I know he's missed mom" Jenny said "She left for no apparent reason, and I could tell that my dad still had strong feelings for her…it'll be an adjustment but we will make it through" she said

"Well, I'm happy for you" Eric said "I'm glad that your family is coming together. Maybe after you get that then you'll start to see the other many wonderful things in front of you" he smiled

"Yeah, lets hope" Jenny laughed

* * *

><p>He hadn't meant to be so closed off from Serena, but talking about his mother wasn't something he was up for discussing with her. Sharing the whole family issues wasn't something they had gotten to in their relationship, but he wanted to but just found his to be a little too much at times. Some times he wasn't even sure what the problems were but he just knew that it wasn't something he wanted to be so out and the open like other aspects of his life. Coming down the hall, Dan pulled the last trash bag out of his back pocket before knocking on Blair's bedroom door. Waiting for a response, he soon realized that she wasn't in her room let alone even at home. It all began to make sense seeing as he didn't have her nagging voice in his head. Stooping down to grab the trash bag he couldn't help but notice the same tube that he had seen earlier in the week while at the shoot. Grabbing the tube he looked on to see the words ipecac syrup on them and just knew it was something familiar that he had heard of. Torn away from his look upon the tube, Eleanor called out for him, which sent him in a quick dash to swap the bags out before heading downstairs.<p>

"Daniel, what are you doing with the trash?" Eleanor asked

"I was helping Dorota out" Dan quickly replied "Did you need something?" he asked

"I heard that you were still around so I figured you were lagging with the appointments, but then I got my print out as soon as I came back from my afternoon meetings. I then came to the conclusion that your hanging around so late to avoid your mother" Eleanor said

"I just thought that I would help out Dorota, I mean I'm sorry if…" Dan began to apologize

"I don't want apologies. I just…this is me being concerned Daniel. This is me asking is everything okay at home?" Eleanor asked

"Yes, everything is okay at home. It's just a bit weird to have my mom back in town, when you spend so much time getting used to her being gone" Dan replied "But I won't hang around, I'll leave" he said

"Don't be silly. You don't have to rush off, you know, I do think highly of you Daniel. I happen to believe that you're a bright young man with a sense of direction, and that's hard to find these days" Eleanor said

"Can't say I've ever heard that" Dan smiled

"Which is why I want you to feel welcome in my home, I treat my employees like family…or the one's whom I know" Eleanor said

"You really don't…" Dan said before she interrupted

"If you feel the need to take on other tasks then your more than welcome" Eleanor told him "And if you happen to get tired and slack off by watching television for a bit that might cause you to avoid the awkwardness at home…then feel free" she smiled as Dan was finally understanding that she was giving him permission to hang out longer past work hours "Now, I have to get to a conference call. I looked over the final details for the party and I hope the cake fiasco will not occur with my party" she said

"I ordered your cake two months ago" Dan said as Eleanor just smiled at him before she made her way back into her office. Walking over towards the living room, he flopped down on the sofa before he leaned forward to turn grab the remote control. Laying his head back on the arm of the chair as he channel surfed, his mind had ran across the fact that this was the last place he'd ever thought that he'd be able to just hang out at. Nothing was what he had expected so far, he was engulfed in this world and he knew it. His mind began to drift off to the tube that had haunted him this past week, there was just something about the tube marked ipecac syrup that was so familiar to him and he just couldn't put his finger on it. Pulling out his cell phone, he began to go to his internet, to try to google the name of the tube until the elevator doors opened and he heard the clicking sounds of a familiar heels. Slowly sitting up on the sofa to greet the brunette, who quickly joined him in the living room.

"I'd ask what your still doing here, but I'm sure I don't want the answer" Blair said as she sat across from him on the other sofa

"Your mom said I could hang out here" Dan replied

"And exactly like I predicted, I don't like the answer" Blair replied as he continued to surf through the channels while Blair just looked on at the depressing young man "Why are you such a buzz kill?…your mom can't be that bad" she said

"You clearly don't know my mom then" Dan sighed

"Okay, well you altering your mood just because she decided to pop up is making you into an ass" Blair asked him "The whole personality switch is quite confusing and frankly I'm not sure Serena has grasped the whole girlfriend thing quite yet" she told him

"You hate my personality…" Dan replied

"I don't hate your personality, I just find it annoying" Blair said

"Is there really a point to this? I mean all I want to do right now is watch this movie, and then I promise I will get out of your way" Dan told her

"The point is that your being a jerk to your girlfriend over the fact that mommy dearest has decided to come back. She's back, get over it" Blair said

"It's not that simple as to just get over it. My mom…she's done things that I'm not quite sure I can forgive" Dan hesitantly revealed "So the reason for the personality switch is because a part of me wants her home then another part doesn't because of what she done" he replied

"Wow, you even judge your own family…why is that not surprising" Blair said to herself as Dan just rolled his eyes at the fact that she always managed to insult him even when he was trying to be nice to her "Look, I don't know how your mom is, and I preferably don't want to get to know, but I think maybe its time for you to take your own advice" she said

"And what advice would that be? …..Run and never come back" Dan joked

"No, well I hope…but you should tell your mom how you feel because even if she doesn't understand then at least she'll know how you felt…something like that" Blair said trying to recall what he had told her on her past issues with her mother

"Your starting to remember my advice now?…aww, I'm touched" Dan laughed as Blair just rolled her eyes

"Notice how the only significant thing you've done the whole time you've worked here was just stringing together a few measly words" Blair said

"That's not the point, the point is that you remembered those words. What? Do you say those words to yourself before you go to bed? Are they like the words you live by now?" Dan teased her

"Yes, because I think of you before I go to bed" Blair replied sarcastically

"You might" Dan laughed

"Your mom has clearly done a number on you for you to think I think about you" Blair laughed as he began to fluff his pillow "There's no need to fluff your pillow because I predict you leaving soon" she said as she hit him with a pillow

"Ow!" Dan said blocking her hits as he continued to fluff his pillow, just trying to get comfortable "Casablanca is coming on" he told her

"I don't care" Blair replied

"C'mon, I know a girl like you loves the Humphrey Bogart" Dan laughed

"I do, I just don't care to watch with you…Judas" Blair said as she got up from her seat and began to head over to the staircase

"How long are you going to keep throwing that in my face?" Dan asked

"Until I see the cake I wanted in mine" Blair quickly replied

"Your going to regret not watching this with me Waldorf" Dan told her

"I'll regret watching it with you" Blair said as she made her way up the stairs

"So was this talk out of concern or…" Dan began to ask before Blair interrupted

"Serena offered up her Dior clutch" Blair replied

"Figures" Dan laughed to himself before he turned his attention back to the movie

* * *

><p>Looking out the window as the limo pulled up in front of her building, she hated to admit that she was actually disappointed that the ride was over. She had this weird thing where she actually enjoyed riding in limo's, it was like riding on a cloud in her mind. Never did she think that she would actually get to experience that feeling of riding in a limo or even in the near future, but she had come to enjoy the experience. Looking over at Chuck, she gave him a quick smile for the ride before she opened the door to get out. Quickly opening his door to catch up with the young girl, Jenny found it a bit strange that he was doing a slight run up to her, of course Chuck Bass would never be one to run but it did appear that he was but in his own little way, it was something that she just couldn't explain. Turning slowly, she couldn't help but hide the slight look of confusion on her face while he just wore this smile on his as if he wanted to tell her something. Taking a quick moment to catch his breath after that awkward run, Jenny couldn't help but laugh a little to herself. Straightening up his stance before he too let out a little laugh, Chuck looked on at her for a moment, giving her the true James Dean, smoldering look that he had seemed to master.<p>

"Come with me" Chuck said

"Uh…I have to go home. My dad would be pretty upset if I just go with you" Jenny replied

"Not now. I mean tomorrow" Chuck said "Blair's birthday party. I want you to be my date to the party" he said

"Why?" Jenny asked "If you don't mind me asking?" she asked

"Because I actually like talking to you. Your not like most girls" Chuck said

"And you got that from the two conversations we had?" Jenny asked finding his statement a bit confusing since he barely knew her

"I don't need to have multiple encounters with someone to know that they're someone I want to talk to or hang out with. In this world you just have this radar, in which you can separate the good from the bad, and sometimes you like the bad because its fun…but your good, and I like the good in you" Chuck said to her

"Why do I feel like that was a line out of a movie?" Jenny laughed finding his statement a bit corny

"I know, I'm becoming a corny sap, but I'm telling the truth in some odd way" Chuck said "Look, its just a party and it can get a bit boring at times. Nate might not even go due to the fact that it might be awkward to be at a numbers party" he said

"Yeah, I think a numbers party makes it a bit awkward, when the purpose of the party is to hook up with a random person for the night" Jenny laughed "But it is clever" she pointed out

"Clever can be boring" Chuck replied "Do I have to beg again for this?" he then asked with a bit of laughter

"I'm just having a hard time understanding why you of all people want me as company" Jenny questioned "I mean you're a nice guy but your like this playboy, who can be with any girl" she said

"You ever think that might be the problem, I can be with any girl" Chuck replied

"But girls that are much more seasoned when it comes to parties, my few parties that I have attended haven't gone so well" Jenny said

"That's because you weren't with the right people. Trust me, I can show you a good time" Chuck said

"I don't doubt that" Jenny replied

"Your going either way, right? I mean I'm sure Blair will have you do some mundane task to show that she has control over you" Chuck asked

"Yes, that would be true" Jenny agreed

"Well if your with me then she can't make you do anything, you'll get to actually enjoy the lavishness" Chuck said "Face it, I'm your ticket to a good time" he teased

"Sadly I kind of have to agree with that statement" Jenny sighed

"Just come with me. You can use me, and I could use your company. I'll even have the limo pick you up and everything" Chuck said

"You drive a hard bargain" Jenny said as she eventually let her guard down "Fine. I'll go" she agreed

"Good. That's good" Chuck smiled before he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. Feeling his lips pressed up against her skin sent shocks through her body as she wasn't sure how to really feel about it nor was she sure she disliked it. It had come to a surprise to the both of them, but they knew little of the fact that it was going to become a surprise to just about everyone else, as an onlooker snapped a picture of the two together. Looking on at the picture, the girl just smiled as Chuck Bass had made it clear who his latest was.

* * *

><p><strong>I know that we are young<strong>

**And I know that you may love me**

**But I just can't be with you like this anymore**

**Alejandro**

Champagne poured freely within the room as everyone had seemed to take to the party in more ways than one. The venue that was selected was beyond huge that in each corner of the room there were hiding spots for those that just couldn't fight the urge any more. She didn't want her party to be an orgy but the theme was definitely for everyone to lose their inhibitions as opposed to cling so tightly to their wound up personas. The numbers party, as she came to call it, was her own way of putting herself out there on the market as a single woman in a manner that would allow her to be anything but herself. Beforehand, each guest when they rsvp'd had to give their personal phone number that would be placed in huge crystal glasses throughout the room, if any of the guest cared for that casual hook up than they were more than eager to pull from the glass and call the anonymous number at any time throughout the night. She wasn't exactly proud of the theme but in her mind, time was ticking until she had to at least play the field or else the whispers of her still being hung up on Nate would run rampant.

**She's got both handsIn her pocket**

**And she won't look at you (won't look at you)**

**She hides true love**

**En su bolsillo**

**She's got a halo around her finger**

**Around you**

Making her way up to the balcony that overlooked the room full of people, Blair had a slight smile on her face as she was partially ecstatic that she was still relevant in her social circle. A Queen was nothing without the love of the people, and if she were to remain that of a Queen then she would need to have her followers. Turning back towards Katy and Isobel, she gave them a devilish smile as she pulled out the number that was in her pocket. The point of the evening had been for her to meet the next Mr. Right that could potentially be someone she hadn't expected from her usual, which only consisted of Nate. Thinking that they had found the next Mr. Right for Blair, Katy and Isobel excitedly waved over a guy for him to come join them. A little bit intrigued, Blair was curious to see what their standards were for her and she had to admit that the guy was Antonio Banderas cute. He wasn't exactly future husband material but he had great potential to be a one night stand, seductively taking a sip of her champagne, Blair had every intention of enjoying this one for the night that was until he had flashed his disturbing smile. With three gold teeth in the obvious places of his mouth, Blair quickly drew a face of disgust before she downed her champagne.

**You know that I love you boy**

**Hot like Mexico**

**Rejoice**

**At this point I've gotta choose**

**Nothing to lose**

Coming out from within the crowd, Serena pulled out her cell phone and began to dial the familiar number that she had come to use over the past few weeks. Listening to the countless rings, she had hoped that he would at least pick up, but with each ring that passed, her hope was slowly fading away. Blair hadn't said too much to her about her conversation with Dan, just the fact that he just needed to deal with this in his own way and to let him stew for awhile until he figured it out. Serena hated to take that advice but since he wasn't coming forth with information, then she knew the only thing she could do was be there to listen when he did decide to open up to her. Putting her phone away for a mere second, she quickly pulled it out again and dialed it once more in hopes that she might get through on sheer luck.

Standing across the street in the night air, Dan looked down at his phone to see that it was Serena calling once again. He hated that he didn't have the heart to talk to her about the pressing issue that was her mother, but he hoped that after tonight that he might be able to. Zipping up his jacket, he adjusted the fit of it as this wasn't his usual that he liked to wear while he was out. Once the call ended, he couldn't help but look at the back round picture that was of his family back in a moment where they were unified and happy. For a moment he just looked on at the smile that was plastered on his mother's face and wondered would they ever be like that again. Hearing a familiar laugh come from across the street, Dan looked up to see his mother get out of a taxi in front of the motel that she was staying at. Beginning to walk over towards the motel, to where she was, he then stopped abruptly once he noticed that a man was with her, a man that wasn't his father.

**Don't call my name**

**Don't call my name**

**Alejandro**

**I'm not your babe**

**I'm not your babe**

**Fernando**

**Don't wanna kiss**

**Don't wanna touch**

**Just smoke my cigarette, hush**

**Don't call my name**

**Don't call my name**

**Roberto**

He had no intention of coming, but he had this feeling that if he ever wanted to advance things to the next level then he would have to come out of hiding and just tell her. Getting out of the town car, Eric made his way on the red carpet only to see a long line of people form along the building that were just anxious to even set foot on the red carpet. Luckily for him he knew the birthday girl very well, so in this case where he saw the very guys that had picked on him at school, he gave a self gratifying wink to them as he walked right in like it was nothing. Immediately once he entered he heard the whispers of the group of girls that were off in the corner of the lobby, he hadn't been one to eavesdrop but he couldn't help but become intrigued with the topic of Jenny and Chuck being linked together in the same sentence. The very girl that had taken the picture of the rumored pair, stood amongst the group the girls, as they all just looked on at her phone, gossiping away as the picture had seemed to become reality.

"I can't believe Chuck Bass and Jenny Humphrey" One girl said in disbelief "He's definitely lowering his standards for this one" she said causing Eric to stop dead in his tracks not wanting to walk away from what he was hearing

"Just send it all ready, I mean they're here together so its only obvious" Another girl said "Just send it Charlotte, Gossip Girl will take it from here" she told the girl before in a matter of seconds the very picture they were giggling about had gone viral. Pulling his cell phone out to beat the buzz, Eric got the desired information he had sought once he opened it up to see Chuck kissing Jenny on the cheek. Just as he looked up from his phone, he saw the living image of the two as they come up the stairs in a fit of laughter. A look of surprise came to Jenny's face when she saw her friend, but she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't so thrilled to see her. Laughing to himself in disbelief of the situation, Eric turned to leave.

* * *

><p>In a fast pace, she did her best to catch up with him as she found herself doing this more than she had intended to. Eric had been nothing but confusion to her, as one minute they were the best of friends then in the next he was upset. She couldn't pin point exactly why he was upset but she knew that face, the face that carried so much disappointment all in one look. Turning the corner, Eric had no intention of slowing down in the least bit, not even for her, but had found his anger towards her effecting his speed just a tad as he began to slow down a bit. Gaining on him, she quickly sped up to cut him off. Doing his best to walk past her, Jenny kept cutting him off to make sure that he wouldn't leave her this time. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Eric had to give into the fact that she had cornered him. Running his hand through his hair, he thought for a moment as the two stood in silence just wondering what the other was thinking.<p>

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Jenny asked

"So you could lie" Eric quickly replied as Jenny looked at him with confusion

"Lie. I never lied to you" Jenny said

"You go to a party with Chuck Bass. Chuck Bass!….then your pictured with him outside of your home" Eric replied angrily

"Okay, so me being seen with Chuck Bass is a bit much, but why does that matter? Why are you upset about that?" Jenny asked

"Because its Chuck. He's actually a step down from Nate, at least with him I could understand, but not Chuck" Eric replied

"You don't have to understand" Jenny said "Who I choose to hang out with is my choice, not yours" she told him

"No, who choose to associate with would be more fitting. Lets see, you have a Van der Woodsen, Archibald, and Bass…your just loading the deck on this, aren't you?" Eric said

"It's not even like that!" Jenny replied angrily "You make me out to be some social climber" she said

"If the shoe fits" Eric quickly replied

"Chuck came to me, I didn't seek him out. Blair wanted me to get him homework for the weeks he missed school because he was opening up his burlesque club…I was doing what I was asked. Chuck and I talked about two times, that's it" Jenny explained to him "Then he asked me to come with him tonight because Nate was coming for the obvious reason that it's a numbers party" she then said as Eric was beginning to understand her reasoning, that was until he looked at the gold necklace around her neck. Yesterday, he had been overjoyed to see her wear the necklace that he had sent to her but now that it was out completely, his heart broke even more so, when he realized that the necklace wasn't his.

"Who gave that to you?" Eric asked catching Jenny off guard with the question. Raising her hand to the necklace, she held it for a few moments just trying to decide whether to tell him or not as she didn't want another argument between them

"Does it really matter?" Jenny asked

"Did he give it to you?" Eric asked her as his mood became so somber

"Yes, Chuck gave me this necklace" Jenny told him "It was a gift, but it really doesn't matter what it was because you'll only see it the way you want to see it" she then said

"Maybe" Eric replied as he looked her in the eyes to convey the hurt he felt in his eyes

"We can't keep doing this. I'm so tired of the fighting and you being so hot and cold" Jenny said "Do I like your world, yes…but I'm not going to apologize for wanting to be friends with the very people you detest. You hate them, not me" she said

"Is it really that hard for you to see why I act the way I do?" Eric asked in disbelief that she was that blind

"Yes. Your all over the place and its becoming a bit much now…I miss my friend, but I'm not going to keep apologizing for the same thing over and over again, especially when I don't think its wrong" Jenny told him

"So you want to know why I'm all over the place?" Eric asked her

"If it'll end this separation between us, then yes. I want to know why you feel the need to get upset every time I attempt to move beyond just us" Jenny told him as he just went in to kiss her

* * *

><p>Sitting on the sofa, he looked on the text that displayed the resolution of what he wanted from his mother, and for the first time he actually felt like it was clear to him. He didn't need her. He loved his mother but he knew that his family needed more than someone who could occasionally check in to be a mother. Taking a deep breath, he eventually sent the text and was just glad that he was finally done with it. Hearing the elevator doors open up, Dan looked up to see Blair come out with a look of defeat on her face. Finding it surprising to see her in so early, he just looked at her unsure if he should make a joke or be sympathetic to the fact that her party probably didn't go the way she had wanted it to. Blair had come used to seeing him, so she didn't bother to exhaust herself with insulting him, she just simply embraced the fact that he was like a rodent they couldn't get rid of. Putting her coat on the coat rack before she walked back over to the living room area to sit across from him on the sofa, she just stretched out as she kicked her heels off.<p>

"Should I ask?" Dan asked her breaking the silence between them

"Shut up Humphrey" Blair quickly replied

"I will, I just want to capture this moment because even without the cake, you still had a crappy time" Dan said

"Its because of the cake that I had a horrible time because at least the cake was the highlight of my party, but you ruined that…" Blair said

"Don't even think of calling me Judas" Dan interrupted

"It fits what you did. You betrayed me" Blair told him

"Yes, I purposely didn't get the cake you wanted because I wanted you to have a crappy party" Dan said sarcastically

"Just…shut up and sulk about your damn mommy issues" Blair pouted as he just laughed

"Can I show you something?" Dan asked as he got up from his seat

"I really don't feel like dealing with you tonight. Guys, in general I don't feel like dealing with" Blair replied

"Well, I think this will cheer you up. C'mon" Dan said giving her a nod to follow him into the kitchen. Reluctantly getting up from her spot on the sofa, she followed behind him as they headed into the kitchen. She wasn't quite sure to know what to expect because they clearly saw things from different perspectives, but she did find it entertaining that he felt the need to make some sort of surprise from her since in her mind still viewed him as Judas. Walking over to the counter, Dan revealed the Giaverte cake to her as she couldn't help but crack a little bit of a smile.

"So you wanted to surprise me with the very cake that I didn't have at my birthday party?" Blair questioned

"It's not the very cake, it's a Giaverte cake but more of an affordable cake" Dan told her

"Giaverte doesn't do affordable, that's part of the reason I love his cakes" Blair stated

"Okay, well Giaverte made this for you on short notice because I promised that I would only do business with him when it came to any Waldorf event, and since your mother is pretty much known abroad…that would pull in a lot of business for him" Dan said as he pulled out two forks before he sat up on the counter

"Love the disregard for proper etiquette" Blair said sarcastically as she made her way over towards the counter "Luckily for you, I'm kind of losing the properness that a lady should possess" she said as joined him on the counter

"Did you find your Mr. Right through the stupid numbers idea?" Dan teased

"It wasn't stupid, it was clever…and no, I didn't. Though I do think I met a gigolo" Blair said as she snatched her fork away from him while he pulled a small box of candles out of his pocket to put on the cake

"You invited a gigolo? ….that's far from ladylike" Dan teased

"Ha, ha….it wasn't intentional, and it was my minions lame attempt to set me up" Blair replied

"There you go then, that would definitely get people to stop talking about Nate and you breaking up" Dan laughed "You should just date a gigolo" he laughed as he lit the candles

"I haven't stooped that low Humphrey" Blair replied not finding his laughter amusing

"Sure you haven't" Dan replied "But word of advice, you know since your starting to remember every thing I say now, maybe you should just stop searching for Mr. Right" he suggested "I know you're the self proclaimed Queen and everything, but I have this feeling like the guy you've been waiting for just might be in front of you…but you just need patient enough to enjoy the journey" he told her

"The journey is taking to long" Blair pouted "What about you? Did you take my advice?" she asked as she looked down to see her candle lit cake

"That was still my advice" Dan replied

"I told you get over it, did you get over it?" Blair asked

"In not so many words, I did" Dan said "My mom…she's sort of held my family in this holding pattern, all because she didn't know what she wanted, but I guess tonight…when I saw her with the same guy she cheated on my dad with…it finally forced to get out that pattern, and just tell her that I don't want her here" he sighed

"I guess people really can struggle with monogamy" Blair said in an effort to cheer him up in her own little way "Just look at this way, now you can continue to sneak Serena into your bedroom and continue the pattern of almost consummating your relationship" she said as Dan couldn't help but laugh as they raised their forks

"Happy birthday Waldorf….not quite sure I fully embrace the day you were born, but Happy birthday" Dan told her

"Happy Birthday to me" Blair smiled as she became giddy with excitement to finally have her Giaverte cake. Taking the first piece of the cake, Dan quickly followed her lead by getting a piece for himself

* * *

><p><strong>Here's the day you hoped would never come<strong>

**Don't feed me violence, **

**just run with me**

**Through rows of speeding cars**

**The paper cuts, the cheating lovers**

**The coffee's never strong enough**

**I know you think it's more than just bad luck**

Putting down his blackberry on his desk, the young businessman loosened up his tie as he took his seat in front of the computer. Clicking on the internet icon, he had navigated his way to the popular site that was Gossip Girl. For a moment he leaned back in his chair, just thinking to himself about the nights events and what was to come for the young girl. He knew what he was doing was bad, but the sense of revenge felt better than anything and who ever got in the way of that was just pure collateral. Grabbing his phone, he looked on at the photo that had been sent around by a peer that showed he and Jenny Humphrey together. Closing the picture, he then went to his text screen to write a quick message that showed his gratitude for the night and hopes for a deep friendship in the future…to play the role he had to become that guy that did stuff like this, he had to show a sense of appreciation that he wasn't accustomed to. Sending the message off, he then went about writing yet another message of gratitude to the person who had put this all in to motion for him. 'Nice touch with the picture. We'll talk soon' he wrote on his screen before he sent the message off to Charlotte. Putting his phone down, he then pulled his chair up closer and once again began to write yet another message, but this one would lead to future events that he was sure would be memorable in his path to destruction.

**Anonymous: Word on the street, Jenny Humphrey is not as virginal as she proclaims. She didn't get Chuck Bass based on good conversation.**

Chuck wrote before he sent the message into Gossip Girl.

**There, there, baby**

**It's just text book stuff**

**It's in the ABC of growing up**

**Now, now, darlin'**

**Oh don't lose your head**

**'Cause none of us were angels**

**And you know I love you, yeah**

Sitting on top of the counter top still eating away at the cake, Dan and Blair went back and forth with their banter. Speeding up his pace of eating as they both started to realize that there was only one slice of cake left, all he could think about was trying to beat her to it. Noticing that he was changing his pace, she too tried to speed it up as the cake just became so addictive to the both of them that they were willing to fight each other for it. Trying to shield him away from the cake, Blair couldn't help but laugh at the fact that they were acting so childish over a silly piece of cake. Pointing over to the corner of the room, Dan looked over to see what exactly she was looking at before she went in for the last bite. Not turning back quick enough, all he was left with was the image of her eating the very slice that he wanted. Laughing as she enjoyed the creaminess of her red velvet cake, she celebrated her victory.

**Sleeping pills, **

**no sleeping dogs lie never**

**Far enough away**

**Glistening in the cold sweat of guilt**

**I've watched you slowly winding down for years**

**You can't keep on like this**

**Now is as bad of time as any**

Coming out of the shower as her lover stayed inside, Alison grabbed her robe as she headed back to the bedroom of her motel room. Sifting through her suitcase of clothes, she was quickly torn away from her search when she heard the beeping sound from her cell phone. Rising to her feet, she grabbed her cell phone, when she saw that she had a message from Dan. With a smile on her face she hoped that her son had finally embraced the idea of her coming back for him and Jenny, but it soon faded as she read the message.

Dan: Some things never change, and neither will you. I'll tell Jen that you had to go back for art show, we'll maintain like we always have…without you.

Sitting motionless on the bed, she quickly raised her hand to her mouth as she wanted to stop the pain she was feeling. Deep down she wanted to cry, but she knew she had no right to because of she made her bed…and now she was left to lie in it.

**There, there, baby**

**It's just text book stuff**

**It's in the ABC of growing up**

**Now, now, darlin'**

**Oh don't kill yourself**

**'Cause none of us were angels**

**And you know I love you, yeah**

Popping out the blue pill, Blair put the pill in her mouth before taking a sip of her water. Looking on at herself in the mirror just as she put the cup down, her attention had turned back to the box that read laxative in its title. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took deep breaths as she just kept telling herself that today would be an exception because of her birthday but she would take care of it later on. Not wanting to spend too much time in her restroom, she quickly headed out of her bathroom and headed back downstairs to see Humphrey making himself comfortable on the sofa as he fluffed his pillows to his likings. Walking over towards the sofa, she quickly through his feet off the sofa so that she could sit down. Usually he would have come back with a quick witted remark but he couldn't help but laugh on the constant bicker between the two of them that made them somewhat understanding to the other.

"What movie is this?" Blair asked as she did a quick text

"Casablanca" Dan smiled as she turned to glare at him "I told you that you would have regretted it" he said turning his attention back to the screen

"I didn't regret it" Blair replied as she put her phone down

"Of course you didn't, because your watching it now" Dan said

"Shouldn't it be my pick, seeing as its my birthday?" Blair asked

"You'll appreciate this, Humphrey Bogart….can't go wrong" Dan said just as his phone began to vibrate, not wanting to answer it at the moment, he quickly put the call to voicemail before turning his attention back to the screen.

**It's okay by me**

**It's okay by me**

**It's okay by me**

**It was a long time ago**

Looking on at his phone, Carter found it hopeless to call Dan back and then his attention was starting to wane even more so. Earlier on in the week, Dan had asked Carter to look into something for him that was kind of disturbing to him, and since Carter pretty much knew all the little dirty trades of the Upper Eastside, he was more than happy to do so for his friend. Looking on at the screen once more to make sure that he had the right item that Dan had requested, Carter laughed to himself as he found the item to be quite the doozy for whoever was messing with it. Listening to Dan's voicemail, waiting to leave his message, he then sat up straight in his chair once he heard the beep sound.

"Yeah, hey, Dan. Its me Carter as you can tell by the caller identification. I got you your information that you so graciously requested and I have to say that I'm a bit intrigued to know who is messing with this stuff. I mean this is the real deal type of problem if so. The Ipecac Syrup, most of the people I've talked to about it call it emetic…so the name difference may have threw you off. It's a little bit on the poison side, but it only depends on the dosage…basically this bad boy is used to make you vomit…so we both know what type of person would be into this. Whoever you know has this has got some serious problems because this like top notch bulimia here" Carter said "Well if your looking to buy some, I do know a few dealers that have it, but I'd advise you to not mess with that stuff or the person who wants it…but the choice is up to you" he then said.

* * *

><p><strong><em>SongsLyrics in this Chapter:_**

**_Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys- Empire State of Mind_**

**_Lady Gaga- Alejandro_**

**_Imogen Heap- Speeding Cars_**

**Author's Note 2: I hope you enjoyed the read. Blair as you know is dealing with some serious, serious issues involving her bulemia. This of course will be the focal point of the next chapter or episode Blair Waldorf Must Pie, so brace yourself because it will focus mainly on Blair and not what originally happened [I'm sure you all ready knew that since I did say this story was a remix of the first season]. I pretty much have the whole season one episodes planned out and know officially where I'm going...so I'm excited about that because not knowing where your going with it is kind of a mind war and school all ready gives me that.**

**Dan/Blair: Things will pick up with them. They will be a lot closer over the next two chapters (Blair Waldorf Must Pie!, High Society)and like I mentioned before, Roman Holiday will be big for them. The beginning of Dair has started in this chapter...yay!**

**Jenny: She will be going down her own little path of self destruction as she will not be taking her parents divorce well, and the fact that Dan basically told their mom to go. She will face something big towards the end of the story/season.**

**Jenny/Eric/Chuck: Yes, I have quite the triangle going on. Chuck of course has some bad intentions involved when it comes to Jenny and expect that to continue but it will reach an all new high. Eric [my friend says, aww...poor Eric because of what I'm putting him through] will be dealing with his feelings for Jenny and struggles to understand her want to be a part of the Upper Eastside.**


	9. Blair Waldorf Must Pie!

Author's Note: Wow, I didn't know how long it was until I uploaded it. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to your feedback :) This chapter deals solely with Blair so it won't have Jenny, Eric, Chuck, Serena any of the side characters. It deals with Bulemia, and I have done my best with reading up on it because I want to give an accurate potrayal of Blair's situation. I was deeply touched that I got a review thanking me for going about this issue because I myself would have liked to see this issue played out on the show but it never did, and I think it would have at least given GG some merit as a good show but instead they glossed over it. Just know that I do not intend to gloss over the issue, because I think in general this issue just isn't something you can gloss over. So I'll stop preaching, and I hope you enjoy the chapter

Chapter Nine- Blair Waldorf Must Pie!

**[Four Years Ago]**

**Sweet dreams are made of this**

**Who am I to disagree**

**Travel the world and the seven seas**

**Everybody's looking for something**

**Some of them want to use you**

**Some of them want to get used by you**

**Some of them want to abuse you**

**Some of them want to be abused**

Placing the camera on the stand, the photographer steadily adjusted his lens so that the focus was to perfection. Rummaging through his bag, while the Waldorf's were getting primped for their family picture. Gathering his final flash lens, he placed it on the right spot of the camera before he gave the woman a smile that showed he was ready. Like the royal families that she had seen in her history books, Eleanor arranged her husband, Harold, to her liking while littlest daughter, Blair, made sure to focus in on the side her mother said was best. It wasn't enough to be known in the Upper Eastside, but to leave your mark in a world like this was necessary in this world. Young Blair Waldorf was a the prettiest of the princesses thanks in large part to her mother. Eleanor had the keen eye for fashion, and many of the other little princesses vied for her dresses, while her father carried the knowledge of business. In large part her family was of that royalty that many have spoke of amongst the Archibalds, Bass, Van der Woodsen, and Baizen. In her mind, she was the fairest of them all while Serena possessed the beauty, but she figured that if she remained under her mother's tutelage than she would one day be the Queen. Looking through his lens he could see perfection, but the photographer that a picture only captured the moment they were willing to share. Capturing the final picture of their session, the photographer looked on at and could see that perfection in this family was just a façade.

**Sweet dreams are made of this**

**Who am I to disagree**

**Travel the world and the seven seas**

**Everybody's looking for something**

**Some of them want to use you**

**Some of them want to get used by you**

**Some of them want to abuse you**

**Some of them want to be abused**

Sitting at the dinner table, the primped and proper little girl sat alone just picking at her dinner. Looking down at the food, she couldn't help but feel timid towards her food as she simply just poked at it in hopes that the staff would let her get away with not eating her meal for the night like she had been able to do the past couple of nights. Hearing her mother's voice come from within the living room, she wanted to get up and tell her mother of her day but by the tone of her mother's voice, she could tell that she was deep in business mode. Dropping her fork as she let out a sigh of frustration as it would be another night on her own as her father and mother were off tending to their respective careers. Eleanor hadn't been known for her nurturing to the young girl like her father would, but she didn't bother to disturb him since he was stressed with his latest client Roman, who was known to be a diva in the fashion world. Folding her arms as she sat back in the chair, Dorota walked up with the little girls favorite dessert but just before she could place the dessert on the table, the head of the kitchen, Agnes, quickly came over to swipe the dish up. Knowing that she had been caught, Dorota knew that it would be a losing battle to protest so she just gave a look of sadness to the young girl before heading to the kitchen behind Agnes.

**I wanna use you and abuse you**

**I wanna know what's inside you**

**Sweet dreams are made of this**

**Who am I to disagree**

**Travel the world and the seven seas**

**Everybody's looking for something**

**Some of them want to use you**

**Some of them want to get used by you**

**Some of them want to abuse you**

**Some of them want to be abused**

Attending these functions had been their usual routine, where they would steal a bottle of the finest champagne of the night and run off to the nearest available suite. To say they weren't little adults would have been an insult to them because with the lives they lead, growing up had to come at a quick speed in this world filled with negligence and access to anything. It was no surprise to them when some of their peers would have the latest ecstasy pills that they had stole from their parents practice, drugs from their parents very own dealers, and unlimited stacks of money sitting on the table at their disposal from their parents safes….nothing was unusual in this world. Not in the mood for a hang over or to watch the boys get high, Serena and Blair ran the halls just overlooking the glamour of the party. Sitting at the top of the steps, they would each critique the guests dress and pick the top dresses of the evening that they themselves would have loved to wear. Of course Serena had a full arsenal of dresses that she could wear because she had a model like body, where anything could go on it and look perfect. Blair on the other hand had to be particular as to what she could wear because she knew her stomach needed more toning, her arms were far too flabby, her face was that of chipmunk, her breast weren't as filled out like she had wanted, and her lips were too small…all these imperfections enabled her to just pick and choose like her best friend. Casually picking the plan and simple like her idol Audrey Hepburn would have gone with, Blair was soon torn away from her selections by the sounds of her father's laughter. Slowly sliding over towards the rails of the stairs, she looked down to see her father with his client Roman. Usually she would have thought nothing of her father entertaining a client, but the placement of his hand on Roman's shoulder made her a bit weary to just accept this as normal.

**I'm gonna use you and abuse you**

**I'm gonna know what's inside**

**Gonna use you and abuse you**

**I'm gonna know what's inside you **

Hearing the roaring sounds of the thunder come along with the drops of the rain, Blair sat in her mirror just brushing her hair as the sounds of her parents latest argument could hold no comparison to the thunder. At times when their screams had reached an all time high, she clenched her eyes shut so that it wouldn't scare her and cause her to over react to what was normal of her mother. Her father hadn't been much of a yeller, but her mother's need to get the point across at times turned him into one, which was at time frightening for her. Continuing to brush her hair with her eyes closed shut, she focused on perfection, that was what she had to accomplish. Looking up into the mirror, she couldn't help but zone in on the roundness of her face, which caused her to lean in much closer to get a better look. Quickly rising from her seat, she lifted her blouse up to see the her stomach hang over her skirt and her mind just went into a fit of panic as she was seeing fat in places that she hadn't even known. She may have been only twelve years old, but her mind was conditioned to think calories, fat, carbs, starches and how all of those things could leads to pounds, love handles, lard asses, and the many fat jokes the other girls made. She couldn't be one of those girls that would get made fun of, she couldn't let her mother see her like this…losing herself in a world of panic, she heard the sounds of glass breaking that had been a new one out of the groups of sounds she had been used to. Rushing over towards her door, she made her way to the top of the staircase to see Eleanor pick up yet another piece of crystal and throw in her fathers direction. Slowly descending the staircase, Blair got a glimpse of her father with his bags in hand and could begin to see why her mother had resorted to throwing objects. Calm and collected like she had known him to be, her father stood with a bag in each of his hands and tears welled up in his eyes. Looking over towards his daughter, he slowly broke inside but knew he had to do this in order for him preserve some bit of happiness for himself. Giving his daughter one final look of sadness, he slowly turned and began to walk towards the elevator doors preparing to leave while Eleanor continued to spout off at the mouth. Running down the staircase, Blair felt as if time was working against her and that she had to convince her parents to get past this nights fight and remember that they were a family, but most of all she had to keep her father.

"Daddy! Daddy, wait" Blair cried out for him before she grabbed on to his arm. Standing still with his back turned towards her, he gathered himself before he slowly turned to kneel down and see his young daughter "Don't go. Please don't go" she begged as he simply caressed her face while all Eleanor could do was look on at the little girl that clearly wanted her father over her mother

"Everything will be fine Care Blair" Harold smiled to his daughter but she knew by his smile that things were far from fine

"Then put your bags down. We can watch your favorite movies, and everything will be fine…but don't go" Blair reasoned with her father

"It's not that simple" Harold told her

"It can be" Blair protested

"Tell her, tell her the reason your leaving your family Harold!" Eleanor yelled

"I love you. I will always love you" Harold whispered to his daughter just trying to ignore the enraged Eleanor. Cupping her face in the palm of his hands, he did his best to capture the falling tears "You're my little princess" he smiled at her

"I need you daddy" Blair cried

"And what have I told you about princesses?" Harold asked through tears

"That she must always remain pure and a lady" Blair said through tears as he just pushed away a strand of hair from her face

"So you will always be my little princess, and royalty always lasts" Harold smiled at her

"You'd know a thing or two about princesses all right" Eleanor scoffed at him before she took a sip from her scotch

"Make him stay!" Blair screamed at her mother as Eleanor just froze for a second. Looking at the desperation in her daughters eyes, she looked over at her husband and once again felt this surging rage come within her

"Should I tell her or should you?" Eleanor asked as her voice became a little shaky with the alcohol finally reaching its effects

"Stop it!" Harold snapped "You do not put our daughter in this" he scolded the woman

"You put our daughter in this when you decided to leave this family" Eleanor yelled

"I'm not leaving this family" Harold replied

"Your bags are packed Harold. Your at the elevator with not intention of returning, what do you call that?" Eleanor asked

"Stop it!….we just need to make this work. We need to get back to being that family. We're perfect together as a family" Blair stated as a moment of silence fell upon them all

"That's the thing about perfection Blair" Harold told his daughter as she turned to look at him "It doesn't exist" he told her

"I don't believe that" Blair replied "This family is perfect. We're the family people want to be like" she told them "We're a family" she began to cry

"Perfection can't be achieved when your father is banging other men" Eleanor said before she took her usual sip of her scotch. Tears welled up in her eyes, Blair looked at her father and in that moment she was unable to hide her natural reaction, a reaction that her father had somewhat figured that he would see from the well trained protégé that Eleanor was trying to turn their twelve year old daughter into. That look of disgust plastered on her face, Blair did her best to look at this from a different perspective but she couldn't not when this world wouldn't allow the slightest imperfections to go on unscathed by ridicule.

"I'll send for my things" Harold said before he boarded the elevator and in that instance she watched her father walk out. Falling to her knees, she looked on at the elevator doors just hoping that he would come walking back through and they could re-do the last few moments

"Happy Thanksgiving" Blair muttered to herself as Eleanor just looked at her daughter

"Get up from the floor. You'll ruin your stalking" Eleanor told her as Blair clenched her eyes shut once more before slowly rising to her feet so that she could turn to face her mother

"Why'd you let him leave? We're supposed to be together" Blair cried

"You can't make someone stay, your father wanted to leave so he left us" Eleanor replied "We'll be fine, and we will spin this…everything will be fine" she told her

"He didn't leave me" Blair softly replied

"Is he planning to return for you?" Eleanor asked "Was there a secret meeting in which you and your father planned an escape out?" she asked as she put her drink down "Because last I checked….he left us both of us" she said

"No, he's just…he's being stubborn. You said I had my father's stubbornness" Blair said trying to hold strong to her beliefs

"Keep holding on to that, it's cute" Eleanor replied sarcastically "So cute that I need another drink. Dorota! Bring another drink" she called out for the maid before she gave a final look at her daughter just before she wobbled in to the kitchen. Turning back to look at the elevator door, once again alone she stood. Making her way up the stairs in a hurry, she didn't want her mother to hear the flood gates of tears that she was letting loose. Retiring to her room, Blair closed the door behind her before rushing over towards her window. She had no idea as to what she was looking for but she had hoped that maybe her mother's silly notions that her father would have a secret plan to retrieve his daughter, and although she waited for what seemed like hours, she knew he wouldn't come back. There she sat for what was the rest of the night just staring out the window.

* * *

><p><strong>[Present]<strong>

Standing up on her pedestal she stared out of her window while the seamstress poked and prodded at her corset. Feeling the tugs, Blair looked on at the woman and hoped that she would get the point that what she was doing was hurting her, but the woman had yet to catch on. Finally getting the stitching in, the woman walked in front of her and began to lace up the corset before she did her best to tie it together for the perfect fit. Nervously looking on at the woman as she put in effort to make the corset work, Blair couldn't help but think back to what she had eaten earlier because this was a custom made corset that was designed for her. It had only been one month since she had been fitted for the dress, and now it seemed like she was a different girl. Coming into the room with Dorota close behind, Eleanor made out tasks for her to do as the perfection of the Waldorf family had to be on full display for upcoming events. Cursing herself for not telling Humphrey to bump up her fitting so that her mother wouldn't be home during the time, Blair made mental notes to never let it happen again as she knew that she was going to suffer for her failed attempt at scheduling.

"And make sure that the fish is baked and not grilled, the judge hates grilled food, which is odd because he can scarf down a hamburger like none other" Eleanor told Dorota before she looked on at the seamstress look of frustration "How are things?" she then asked the seamstress

"She's gained" The seamstress replied as they both turned their attention to Blair

"Your not exactly skinny yourself" Blair fired back "That sauce looks familiar, was that from a local fast food joint" she added

"Blair, that will be enough" Eleanor told her before turning her attention back to the seamstress while Blair stepped down from her pedestal and headed over towards the window "What needs to be done? Because we have a month before Cotillion, and she will be heavily featured this year" she said

"I know, but I have all ready made all the adjustments necessary to make it work but she is not the same weight from when I first measured" The seamstress

"That's impossible, she works out nearly ever day and she eats like a bird…was it correctly made in the first place?" Eleanor questioned

"This is top of line, nothing is wrong with the corset, it's the girl" The seamstress said becoming annoyed with the accusations

"Maybe the sweat shops aren't cutting it anymore" Blair snapped at the woman

"Blair!" Eleanor yelled at her "Look, I will pay whatever, but I need a corset for her dress because we have pictures for Life and Style coming up in less than three weeks" she told her

"I have to charge you the cost of original, plus the alterations I did today, along with over time" The woman said "So we're looking at two thousand even" she said

"Oh, that's ridiculous" Blair replied feeling as if the woman was making the situation bigger than need be "We can go to Georgio and have this taken care of" she said

"Georgio is booked up until the beginning of the year" Eleanor told her

"There has got to be someone other than this common hustler" Blair replied

"Another hundred for the mouth" The woman quickly added

"That's a load of bullsh…" Blair said before Dorota quickly put her hand over her mouth to prevent her from saying something she would regret

"Fine. I will pay" Eleanor said as the woman gathered her stuff and made her way out of the room in a hurry "You picked a perfect time to pig out" she sighed

"I didn't pig out, and besides I'll just put a few more hours in at the gym with the trainer" Blair told her mother "You shouldn't let people take advantage of you, just because you have the money doesn't mean you should be paying ridiculous prices that come off whims of thought" she said

"Well I need your picture, so money has to be an option in order to make someone do something" Eleanor said "You should probably get ready for your meeting with the board, impressions count for everything" she told her

"I'm planning to leave in an hour. By the way, have you received daddy's itinerary? I keep e-mailing him for it but he hasn't said anything yet" Blair asked her mother

"I don't keep contact with your father, you know that" Eleanor replied

"I know, but I just figured since Thanksgiving is tomorrow that he would have got in touch with you" Blair reasoned

"Well he hasn't. When your father walked out four years ago, he stayed gone" Eleanor said "Don't be late to your meeting" she told her daughter before she made her way out of the room

"Has daddy told you anything Dorota?" Blair asked

"I have heard no word from your father" Dorota smiled "But I'm sure he will come" she said

"He has to, I put specific instructions into Humphrey to get the ingredients for daddy's famous pumpkin pies…you remember his pie, don't you?" Blair asked happily

"Yes. I remember the mess very vividly" Dorota said with a worrisome look on her face

"Don't worry, daddy says that we will be more considerate of your feelings when it comes to the kitchen next time, though I do think we shouldn't seeing as it is your job" Blair replied

"Of course you would" Dorota replied

"And with that remark I can see Humphrey has corrupted you. I wouldn't pick up the fleas of the lower class Dorota, he talks a good game but lacks manners and etiquette" Blair said as she laid back on her bed

"Don't you think your perception has changed on Mr. Humphrey?" Dorota asked "I mean your bickering has gone down some" she pointed out

"Please! I've tolerated him like I've tolerated the over usage of the color pink when it comes to girls" Blair replied finding that statement to be ridiculous "Humphrey is a leech that has manage to stick on to Serena, but I know his game" she said

"Ms. Blair your insults have picked up" Dorota said

"That's because I'm anxious for daddy to come all ready. Once daddy comes I'll be my usual princess self" Blair smiled "But I have to get his itinerary because I know he'll want to go to the Zoffman exhibit" she said as Dorota just laughed to herself

"Now I see Humphrey has corrupted you" Dorota said

* * *

><p>Standing at the front of the group in the locker room , Dan took his seat on the bench after he finished getting suited up. Draping a hot towel over his head, he hung his head down just wanting to shake off all the stress for at least three hours, he wanted to just escape it all and if he could then that would have been a good day in his opinion. Listening in on the typical inspiring speech that the coach was trying to deliver to the team, he hadn't focused in on what the coach was saying too much because he was sure that half of his speech came from Remember the Titans. Bending over, he tightened up his laces to his cleats just making sure that he would be ready to go once the coach finished up. The roaring sounds of the crowd had helped him a bit to get pumped but in his head he could mostly envision all that he needed to do in order to have a good game. He had recently won the starting spot on the team and he had hoped to keep it that way if it were up to him. Once the coach finished his speech, the shouts of anticipation rang clear in the lockers as each of the guys on the team banged against their lockers just wanting to get out on the field. Calling for the team to bring it in close, they each rose their hands up and did their team chant before running out of the tunnel.<p>

"You ready for this?" Carter asked as he ran beside Dan through the tunnel

"What is there to be ready for?" Dan questioned

"Never mind" Carter laughed "Just do you Humphrey" he said before he ran ahead of Dan and out in to the roaring sounds of the crowd. For a moment, Dan stopped to take it in and realize just what Carter had meant from the beginning. He was ready, he knew that this was where he wanted to be because out here it was simple. Running over towards their side of the field, Dan became more eager by the minute to get things going.

**I'm not a turtle, Imma turbo**

**Haters pray to god that I turn slow**

**Like I'm sipping on purple**

**But I ain't on your globe**

**I'm in a whole 'nother circle**

**Trying to keep it clean like church clothes**

**Said that respect was something had to work for**

**But that ain't gonna work though**

Throwing the ball in from the corner to Dan, Carter quickly ran ahead as Dan took a moment to access how he was going to attack the defense. For a moment his mind had allowed him to zone in to where he wasn't looking at the array of defenders but single defenders on different levels that he had to get past. Faking out his defender, he gave a few fancy footwork before finally passing his defender to pass off to his teammate. Giving a leading pass ahead, Dan shook his defender and ran after the ball leading the pact with Carter on his right and his other teammate on the other side of him. Beginning to feel like a pack of wolves were gaining on him with one defender to go, he accessed the possibilities of passing it of to Carter, but knew he had surpassed that chance. In one quick motion, he passed it off to his other teammate before doing a quick spin to get open for the pop pass that he head butted in for the teams first goal. Running over to give him a high five, Carter just laughed at how calm Dan seemed to be when it seemed like a group of piranhas were gaining on him.

**Get your respect, but lose all my worth, no**

**You can get that, get a hearse, go**

**Don't leave 48 you'll find a killer in the first floor**

**It was me boy, to commercials**

**Feeling out of place like PETA at a fur store**

**So I left with a couple dozen fur coats**

**Said I could never break away from your hold**

**Watch me, turn though**

**Said that I blew it like Turquoise**

**Just mad hear it all in your word choice**

**Know it hurts but I really don't care though**

**Let me rub it in, get it all up in that ho**

For the most part he was living up to the hype that surrounded him and the defense had slowly began to realize that he was actually pretty good. He had gone through defenders to the point where he wasn't even sure, who was supposed to be guarding him. Knowing that the opposing team was smelling defeat, each defender came in talking more trash than the other and all he could do was just laugh it off and think nothing of it. Running alongside his man, Dan did his best to stop the breakaway goal but knew that his man was a step faster than him. Making an effort to keep bumping him off track, his man had fired off a shot at the goal much sooner than he had anticipated him to. Holding his breath, Dan was relieved to see that he had spared a goal for the other team and had managed to keep his team up by one still.

**I can see the morning creeping up on us**

**It's like the world's in my hands now**

**I'm feeling so rebellious from all of the envy crowding around me**

**I don't wanna care right now**

**I don't wanna care right now**

**No I really don't, really don't, wanna care right now**

Throwing the ball in, Carter quickly went to work as they only had one minute left with a tie game on the line. Not willing to spend yet another minute running up and down the field, he eagerly had his way with his defender in hopes that he could have a clear shot to the goal, but unfortunately his defender was quick enough to recover. Looking over towards Dan's side of the field, he pulled back a bit before he quickly attacked the middle of the field then passed a head to a sprinting Dan. In stride, Dan lead the way once again and his mind he could hear the ticking of a tock go against him. Staying ahead of his defender by one leg, he knew that once he hit a certain spot of the field he would have to kick the ball and hope that it was a clear shot to the goal. One final burst forward, he locked and loaded a kick that had so much power that once he connected with the ball, he himself could feel the impact of it. Watching the ball in pure anticipation, Carter stopped dead in his tracks as he could see the trajectory of the ball begin to work in their favor, turning back towards his bench he had his hands held up high in victory as he confirmed what the referees were all ready saying, goal. Some part of him was relieved to have gotten the final goal, but another part of him realized that the game was over and that he would have to return back to his world of stress. After the game, Dan took his time getting dressed before he made his way out of the locker room to see that Carter had been waiting for him.

"Good game tonight team mate" Carter smiled as he walked over towards him

"Good game" Dan said

"Who knew that the boy from Brooklyn would provide a spark that this team so desperately needed? We were like batman and robin out there, with you being all batman though because you had the whole David Beckham thing going for you" Carter said

"I don't think I've ever really had a side kick, let alone be a Batman" Dan replied

"You'll get used to it" Carter said "You played like a man possessed out there even" he then said

"A man possessed? What makes you think that?" Dan asked

"I mean your freakishly good, but you were in some sort of zone as if you just wanted to remain on the field even after the final whistle" Carter smiled "Am I right?" he asked

"Can't say that I'm in a rush to leave the field seeing as the only release I get is when I play now" Dan sighed "But I wasn't possessed out there" he said

"Call it whatever you want but you were it, look its okay to see it as an escape but some things you can't run from, some things or some issues will still be there even if you choose not to handle them" Carter said before delivering a forced smile that made Dan look at him with much confusion on his face "So what's your plans for turkey day?" he then asked

"Do you really care?" Dan asked

"I do, I mean lets forget the fact that we're killing an animal for the sake of tradition" Carter laughed

"Nothing, really. The home front isn't the warm and fuzzy place you'd expect for this holiday. To make a long story short, my sister is pissed with me so she's in Hudson. My dad is trying to throw together a meal for just the two of us, but he hasn't cooked a turkey ever, so I'm at risk for food poisoning. Serena is leaving for the holidays so there goes my back up plan" Dan sighed "All in all, Happy Holidays to me" he then declared

"Family dysfunction, that works around the holidays" Carter laughed as they made their way to the parking lot "Well I will be in Nantucket with the folks…so if you really need to escape, you can entertain the idea yachts and over priced food" he told him

"That sounds like your regular life here" Dan laughed

"Exactly! That's what I told my parents but they swear this a family tradition. The only family tradition is sneaking off upstairs and hosting a gambling ring with my little cousins…you won't believe the milk money their parents give them" Carter told him "But if there is anything else you would want to discuss, just know that I'm a phone call a way" he said giving that awkward smile again

"Why do I feel like your trying to take it somewhere but want me to just say the destination of where your tying to take this conversation?" Dan asked

"Well since you said it, what's with the ipecac syrup Humphrey?" Carter asked

"It was just pure imagination on my part, but I can't do anything about it and I'm not even sure I know how to" Dan said

"So this friend does exist" Carter concluded "This stuff is serious, and using that isn't just some thing you can gloss over…this is serious" he said

"I know, but I'm not really in a position to judge" Dan replied

"To judge? You know some thing is wrong and you just let it happen, that's not judging in that's saving someone from themselves" Carter said

"But could it really be what you say it is? I mean bulimia, who has that these days?" Dan questioned

"Uh, models. Girls with severe self esteem issues, and that's not hard to find. Girls in the Upper Eastside are more critical of themselves, so its not unusual to have your little disorders, but what is unusual is the acceptance of them" Carter said

"I just…I'm out of my league on this, and I just think that me getting involved will only make things worse" Dan said

"You getting involved makes that person aware of the fact that is something is wrong" Carter said "Look there is not shade of grey in this one, this is a problem…the syrup, that's poison and if the person gets their hands on the wrong dosage…they could really do some damage to themselves" he said

"The more I realize how screwed up this world is, the more I wish I would have kept my ass in Brooklyn" Dan sighed

"Don't we all" Carter laughed "But in this case, you're the good guy sent to our screwed up lives, and your supposed to do the whole touched by an angel on us sinners" he joked "So go save a life" he said before he got in the waiting limo. Watching his friend be whisked off into the sunset, Dan truly hated the fact that most of what he said did make sense. He knew and had his suspicions for the past couple of days about what was going on with Blair but feared getting involved in an issue that he knew nothing about. Making his way over to the bus stop, he used his waiting time as time to learn more about the issue, in hopes that it would inspire him to confront her.

* * *

><p>Overlooking the preparations for the dinner, Eleanor found herself wanting everything to go perfect for her dinner party tonight. Though this was supposed to replace her Thanksgiving dinner with Blair, she hoped that her daughter would understand seeing as most of the guests coming tonight were on the Cotillion committee. It still shocked her that the committee had selected Blair to be the feature debutant at the Cotillion because it seemed like everything was starting to come together for the two of them, with Blair's extra curricular activities and her guidance over her daughters appearances, she felt as if they she had weathered the storm and was finally making it on her own. Most of her circle had associated her with he estranged husband, but that only made her more determined to stand out on her own even more so. Eleanor strived to be the best in the industry and in her social circles, and to have Blair be a product of her was important to her. Coming out of the kitchen to adjust some of the plates that were all ready set up in the dining area, she was quickly torn from her mission of perfection by Blair's loud entrance.<p>

"I can't believe you!" Blair screamed at her mother

"For the love of God, what have I done now that has warranted this behavior" Eleanor sighed as she continued on with her adjustments of the plates "Dorota, have the staff re-do this, this just won't do for tonight" she told her as Dorota cautiously made her way into the kitchen in fear that the two would kill each other

"You said that you had no contact with daddy, well why is that you sent him an e-mail two weeks ago, telling him that his presence wouldn't be needed?" Blair questioned her mother

"I was sparing him the lame excuse of why he can't tear himself away from the latest Elton John loving one night stand, besides its for the best" Eleanor said

"For the best? He's my father, I want to see my father!" Blair yelled

"And he doesn't want to see you" Eleanor quickly replied "I didn't hold a gun to his head, he agreed and it was left at that" she told her

"Because you make it seem like I don't want him hear, like his condition has made him the black sheep of the Upper Eastside" Blair replied

"His condition? Blair, its far more than a condition" Eleanor laughed

"Okay, its his chosen lifestyle, but the point being is that I want to spend the holidays with my father, whether that's his lifestyle or not" Blair said

"That's noble of you, but it doesn't work like that. Harold isolated himself from this world, and we have just recently started to emerge from this mess…so leave that train wreck behind" Eleanor said

"That train wreck is my father. I'm sick and tired of the snide remarks about him over the occasional appearances at the dinner table. I'm so sick of seeing him on one day overlays in France while on our way into Monaco. I want a relationship with him, and you just keep ruining that for me" Blair told her mother

"I ruin that? Maybe I don't want you to get rejected again" Eleanor reasoned

"I was never rejected in the first place!" Blair said in disbelief "Daddy left you, he never left me" she told her

"Keep telling yourself that" Eleanor said as she glared at her daughter in hopes that Blair would back down "It was just as much your fault as it was mine that he left" she told her in a cold tone of voice

"I don't know what's more pathetic, the fact that you have to convince me that he left us or the fact that you're that horrible as a wife that your husband turned to the touch of another man" Blair said as she moved in closer towards her mother. Taking in the harshness of her daughters words, Eleanor quickly slapped Blair across the face just as Dan made his way into the door way to see the two standing as if they were having a show down.

"Take that back you ungrateful brat!" Eleanor yelled at her daughter as Blair slowly recovered from the slap

"Ladies, what's going on?" Dan asked trying to calm them down

"I will not take that back because it's the truth! You for the longest have tried to turn me away from my father only because he didn't want you. Well I have news for you, he wanted me! My dad wants me!" Blair yelled at her mother through the streams of tears that were coming down her face

"Your father tore this family a part, and I have been the one trying to piece this family back together. I have been the one that had to suffer through social circles, having to explain why he's no longer attending the functions that we as a family usually attend…do you know how embarrassing that is?" Eleanor asked

"I don't care! My family is screwed up and I'm suppose to worry about what our social circles will think?" Blair said in disbelief

"Well you can have your little relationship with your father but it won't be on my dime" Eleanor threatened

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Blair asked

"It means exactly what I said, you want to make decisions, well make decisions on your dime, not mine because I refuse to associate with a confused homosexual" Eleanor replied

"Okay, I really think you guys should calm down" Dan told them as they just stared at each

"You really shouldn't be this desperate, its sickening, even for you" Blair said before she brushed past her mother and ran upstairs to her room. Looking on at the woman stand in complete and utter shock by the confrontation. He wanted to tend to her, but he knew that her fortress was higher than ever at this point and she wasn't the type to just expose her feelings. Slowly backing away, Dan made his way upstairs.

* * *

><p>Wrestling with what he should do, Dan hadn't expected to walk into a war zone when he first arrived. He had always known that there was bubbling tension underneath when it came to Blair and Eleanor, but he never expected it to lead back to her father. He would see the pictures hanging up in the hallways and wonder why Eleanor would keep the pictures up, when it was clear she had distaste for her ex-husband but in some odd way he understood when it came to keeping up the façade that they were perfect. It didn't take long for him to understand that she was purely about being perfect, striving and being it were important to her so much that it trickled down on to Blair. Coming to the top of the staircase, he could immediately hear a shuffling of sounds come from Blair's bedroom. Rushing over towards her room, he opened the door to find her shuffling through her drawers as if she was in search for something. Standing in the doorway, he just watched her and usually he would think that she was searching for her designer clothing, but then he realized that she had never really searched for anything when she just made Dorota do it. In this moment, he knew what she was searching for because he had took it, closing the door behind him as he entered her room, Blair glanced up and then went back to her search in no mood to entertain him with banter.<p>

"You can stop the search, I know what your looking for" Dan told her

"Sure you do" Blair replied sarcastically "I'm not in the mood for you today, so could you please just leave the way you entered" she told him as she continued to rummage through her drawers

"Your looking for you tube, the ipecac syrup. I took it" Dan said as she just glared at him

"You did what?" Blair asked

"I took the tube because I know what your using it for, and just to let you know…" Dan said before Blair tried to shove Dan out of her room

"Everyone thinks they can just make decisions for me!" Blair screamed as she pushed him

"What your doing is serious, its not something that is normal" Dan said trying to swat her hands away from his chest

"I don't give a damn about what you think! This is my life, my choices and I wish everyone would stop taking them away from me" Blair yelled at him

"I'm not trying to take your choices away, I'm trying to give you one. I'm trying to stop you from doing something that is beyond dangerous to your body" Dan replied

"Beyond dangerous, you sound like public service announcement….well newsflash, I don't need you to save me" Blair told him "Give me back my property and I won't call the cops on you for stealing" she said

"And then when you have to reveal the item that I stole, then you'll be in the next institute quicker than anything" Dan replied "You can't honestly think that what you doing is fine, can you?" he asked

"Get out" Blair told him

"No, I'm not going anywhere…not until you admit the fact that what your doing is stupid and that you have a problem" Dan said before Blair quickly grabbed the lamp on her nightstand to throw over at his direction

"Get out of here!" Blair screamed at him as he ducked down from the items she was throwing at him before he quickly made a dash for her restroom. Quickly following behind him into the restroom, Blair tried to push him out of the way but he was still too strong for her frail body. Opening up her drawers he began to do what she had done just in recent moments. "Stop it!" she screamed at him

"It's all starting to make sense. I mean all the signs, you have them. You had all the signs" Dan said as he threw items out of the drawer on to the floor while she tried so desperately to make him stop

"This is none of your business!" Blair screamed at him

"Then tell me the truth. Tell me to my face, then I will stop because I don't even think you realize how serious this is!" Dan yelled at her

"You have no idea what its like to be me. You have no right to judge me!" Blair told him

"I'm not trying to judge you, but I just want you to see that you have a problem" Dan said as he threw the drawer to the floor to see all the laxatives and diet pills spill all over the "Its starting to add up, I read about it, and it all makes sense now…" he said in disbelief as he saw the overwhelming amount of pills on the floor. She tried so hard to just pretend like she didn't need that stuff, but she couldn't help but be pulled towards the items that she needed. Falling to the floor, she quickly tried to gather the pills while all he could do was look on in total disbelief at the girl that made his life a living hell could be like this, could be this dependent on pills and laxatives "You ate the leftover food that night, that was your binge eating. The chubby cheeks, the swollen glands, the excessive workouts, the laxatives, and the ipecac syrup" he said listing all the signs

"Get out of here!" Blair screamed as tears fell from her eyes before he tried to grab onto her but she had just pushed him away "Stop!" she screamed at him

"Your better than this" Dan said "You of all people shouldn't be like this" he said trying to make sense of everything

"Well I'm not" Blair quickly replied "This is me, this is my secret" she told him as she was actually defending her problem

"You've got to get help. I will help you, but you have to get help" Dan pleaded with her just as she rose from her feet and once again started to punch at him "You can't do this. You can't go on like this" he tried to tell her but she just continued hitting him

"You know nothing!" Blair yelled

"I know that you have bulimia, I know that for a fact" Dan told her before she at a drop of dime stopped her motions of hitting him, as her attention turned towards the shocking eyes of her mother. Noticing that her attention was turned elsewhere, he looked at her once more before he turned to see Eleanor standing in the bedroom in complete shock over what she just heard

"Is this true? Are you…are you?" Eleanor asked unable to control her shaking. For a moment they all stood still just looking at each other before Blair finally pushed Dan out of the bathroom. Trying to rush back inside the bathroom, Dan leaned up against the door in hopes that the door would just magically open

"Blair. Blair. Blair" Dan said as he tried to open the door "Can you please just open the door?" he asked as he got no response from her "What should we do?" he turned to ask Eleanor who stood motionless

"Huh?" Eleanor asked being torn out of her reverie

"What do we do? She's got a box full of laxatives and pills in there" Dan told her "God only knows what she'll do to herself now" he said once again trying to open the door

"Just…just make sure she's down for dinner in the next two hours" Eleanor said in a robotic tone while Dan looked at her with a look of confusion

"What? She's locked herself in the bathroom with the very items that can make her throw up anything at will" Dan told her

"Just make sure she'd down for dinner in two hours, that will be all Daniel" Eleanor said before she straightened herself up "I will need your help in the kitchen, so please keep this commotion down" she said before she turned to leave the room

"This is freakin' unbelievable" Dan said before he punched the wall in frustration. Feeling the immediate pain of his split second decision, Dan quickly catered to hand in hopes that the pain would subside. Leaning up against the door, he let out a sigh of frustration before he fell to his knees. Going back and forth in his head of whether to stay or go, he moved closer to the door and in some odd way he could feel her. They both sat up against the door on their respective opposites sides as they both wrestled with what had just happened.

* * *

><p>It felt like a whole hour had passed where he just sat up against the door hoping that she would just come out, but he knew that it would be more difficult than that since being difficult was her thing. As time passed he began to accept that maybe with each minute that went by that she was starting to realize what he was saying. He never wanted to make her feel bad about herself, but he just wanted her to know that what she was doing was wrong. Hearing the words wrong to people like them was probably foreign he joked to himself, but there was a part of him that felt like she was different, that she had this tough exterior but was soft inside. The times in which they were just normal around each other without all of the bickering, he saw something in her that made him stop and think that maybe his perceptions were wrong, but this made him scared more than anything because it just surprised him how someone like her could be so negligent with their own body. Resting her head up against the door, she looked on to see that she was surrounded by nothing but pills, and it just seemed to be her life, like this was all she consisted of. The mirrors played tricks her and she just resorted to the pills as if they were her comeback when saw that her attempt at perfection hadn't been reached at all.<p>

"Sooner or later your gonna have to come out" Dan told her

"Will you just go away. I'm being serious, I don't want you here anymore" Blair replied

"Yeah, I got that" Dan sighed "If you come out then I promise I will go, but you have to come out" he told her as he ran his hand through his hair as the stiffness from the floor was starting to get to him

"I'm not stupid Humphrey" Blair snapped at him

"I just want to understand how this even started, I mean what made you even resort to this?" Dan asked her as a moment of silence came between them. Resting her head up against the door, Blair feel the tears stream down her face as she herself found herself asking the same question that Dan had just asked her. It was a question that plagued her for the longest and she never really dealt with because she never had to, it was her secret so that possibility never came up when it was just her.

**_[Flashback]_**

**_Looking out her window as the limo pulled up in front of her mother's studio, the littlest Waldorf waited for her door to be open by the driver before she proceeded to look on at the enormous building that her mother now worked in. The past couple of days her mother had interior designers in and out of the penthouse with the most luxurious of fabrics and tiles, which even Blair worked up to see what creation her mother was working up now. Though she had to learn from passing conversation that her mother was planning to change offices, Blair was still proud none the less that her mother seemed to truly be amongst the elite in her own rights without her fathers guidance. Eleanor Waldorf was the epitome of independence in the little girls mind, in her mind Eleanor Waldorf was by far a greater necessity than Eleanor Roosevelt herself. Making her way inside the building, she was immediately greeted by her mother's employees as she was lead back to the studio to where her mother was. Opening the door, she quickly was enthralled with all the glitz and glamour of her mother's latest clothing that she was featuring in the shoot. Models that she had seen walk the runways in Milan were now in very presence and the little girl couldn't but me excited. All she kept thinking about was how she could wait to rub it in to her friends at school at how she got to meet Janel Grofiskin, who was her all time idol ever since her first Coach clutch. Noticing the awe on her daughters face, Eleanor couldn't help but smile as she snuck up behind her daughter to surprise her._**

**_"There's my princess" Eleanor smiled at her daughter_**

**_"You can't call me that, only daddy calls me that" Blair quickly replied_**

**_"That's right because he spoils you rotten" Eleanor laughed as she grabbed her daughters hand and lead the little girl over towards the editing table with the rest of her workers "Everyone, this is my Blair" she introduced to her daughter to the workers_**

**_"She is too cute for words Eleanor" Laurel commented on the little girl while Blair just gave her signature smile_**

**_"When her hair is down and she is wearing her diamons, yes she is" Eleanor smiled "How much longer do we have?…I would like to make my meeting on time" she asked_**

**_"Your not coming home for dinner? Daddy is bringing over Roman" Blair told her mother as Eleanor just seemed surprise for a moment_**

**_"Oh, he is" Eleanor sighed "If you will excuse me, I have to call your father and tell him the news" she said before she excused herself_**

**_"So your mother tells me that you love Janel?" Laurel asked the little girl_**

**_"Who doesn't" Blair replied as if it'd be stupid not to_**

**_"I can think of a few" The guy beside Laurel muttered to himself as Laurel just laughed_**

**_"She's just…perfect" Blair replied "I mean her body, her hair, her bone structure is just impeccable" she described_**

**_"Impeccable? That word wasn't even in my vocabulary until high school" The guy joked_**

**_"My mother says that the English language is an art that can surpass any other language" Blair said in a robotic tone as if she were saying word for word what her mother would say_**

**_"That sounds like Eleanor" Laurel laughed "But I do agree with you about Janel, she is impeccable" she smiled_**

**_"You want to know how she got so impeccable?" The guy asked her as Laurel hit his arm_**

**_"You can't tell a little girl that" Laurel scolded him_**

**_"What? She's in awe of her, might as well let her know the real her" The guy said turning towards Blair_**

**_"Well keep it PG, Eleanor will have a fit if she knew you were telling her this" Laurel told him_**

**_"Eleanor has recommended this to many of the models" The guy reasoned_**

**_"So you think" Laurel laughed_**

**_"What has my mother recommended?" Blair asked wanting to get in on what the two were talking about_**

**_"Well, Janel there is so impeccable because lets just say she never lets anything just sit in her stomach" The guy said_**

**_"What does that mean?" Blair asked a little confused_**

**_"Do you know about voluntary release of food?" The guy asked_**

**_"No" Blair replied hoping that she didn't seem like some child by not knowing what he was talking about_**

**_"Your making her scared" Laurel said observing Blair's facial expressions_**

**_"I'm not scared" Blair quickly replied feeling as if Laurel was patronizing her "What does that mean?" she then asked the guy_**

**_"That means that Janel throws up her food. It's how she stays in shape. Your mother is very much aware of this, and still she hires the train wreck" The guy told her_**

**_"She feels sorry for her" Laurel said_**

**_"Why? She's a bitch" The guy said_**

**_"No she's not!" Blair said coming to her idols defense "I mean she seems like she has a lot to deal with seeing as she always featured in every fashion magazine and runway" she said "If she has to hack up her food just to fit in a dress then…she's only doing what's necessary, and my mother is a big believer in doing what's necessary" she then added_**

**_"And you say Eleanor doesn't support it" The guy turned to tell Laurel_**

**_"My mother is a business woman, she pays for and wants perfection" Blair replied as the guy just looked on at the well kept girl in awe of how well trained Eleanor even had her own child_**

**_"You really do love your idol?" The guy asked with a bit of laughter "You should be careful, who you idolize" he warned her just as Eleanor came back to join them_**

**_"How are we doing on time?" Eleanor asked_**

**_"Good. We should be done in twenty minutes" Laurel reported to her_**

**_"Good, we have a dinner party to interrupt" Eleanor told Blair as she rubbed her shoulders_**

**_"I have to go to the little girls room, may I go?" Blair asked her mother_**

**_"Yes, you may" Eleanor smiled at her well mannered daughter just knowing that everyone envied how well trained she was._**

**_Washing her hands, Blair looked up in the mirror at herself before she began to look in closer at herself. Feeling the inspiration to view herself as a model, Blair pinned her hair up and gave a couple of poses in the mirror as she could literally see herself walking the Milan runways. Most girls were at home doing homework, but her world consisted of photo shoots and being around well known models, which in the long run only inspired the little girl even more. As she posed in the mirror, she couldn't help but hear gagging sounds come from within one of the stalls. What the guy had told her about her idol still weighed heavily in her mind as she hadn't quite understood what he was talking about but was eager to know how it is done. Slowly creeping up towards the stall, Blair looked through the crack of the door to see the woman hunched over the toilet seat as if she could barely hold herself upright. Looking in even closer, Blair could see every movement that the woman made and she even became recognizable to her. Laying back up against the side wall of the bathroom, the woman rocked herself back and forward as if she was trying to pump herself up before she finally put her finger into her mouth and like flood gates, she leaned forward and began to vomit up food. Holding her hand up to her mouth in shock, Blair was both surprised and scared at the same time that someone would do that to themselves, but some part of her, some intrigued part of her felt like she could understand._**

**_[End Flashback]_**

"If I told you, then you wouldn't believe me" Blair sighed as she ran her hand through her hair as she choked back tears. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she rocked back and forth with her hand covered over her mouth as she didn't want Dan to hear her cry "What's wrong with me" she muttered to herself "What's wrong with me" she said once again

* * *

><p><strong>Observing the estate through the gate from the outside looking in<strong>

**Bet you would think I got it made, better look againI got a butler, got a maid, and a mansion**

**The belief is that I'm living out a millionaire's fantasy**

**With Phantoms and Ferrari's in the driveway**

**But you see it came in exchange for the sane man's sanity**

**Your vision jaded by the Grammy's on the mantelpiece**

**Just switch your camera lenses you would see the agony**

**Apparently it's damaging the man you see before you**

**On the canvas he m****ay seem alright but all the diasadvantages his family**

**Encounters overshadows his extravagance**

**Walk in my nines a while I dare you, would it scare you**

**While it surely seem like King's life ain't glamourous**

**As seen through the eyes of untrained amateurs**

**Because the camera doesn't see beyond the walls of the smiles**

**Only counts until it falls in the pile**

Looking over at the window, Dan could see that night time had come and still he found himself in the same spot. Sitting up straight, he massaged the back of his hand as the stiffness of the wooden door had finally gotten to him. For a while he had just sat in that position because even though she wouldn't have admitted it to him, he could hear her crying inside the bathroom. Hearing her cry had hit a spot inside of him that felt guilty for confronting her the way he did, which made it nearly impossible for him to just get up and leave. At times when he would look at the clock and realize how much time had passed, Dan hoped that Eleanor would ditch her guests and come up to be with her daughter, but as the time passed so did her opportunity of being with her daughter. He knew that there wasn't much that he could say because she basically despised him, but he knew that if Eleanor were here that she would evoke some part of Blair to open up and come outside so that they could talk about her problem. Getting a desperate need for some water, Dan did his best to ignore his thirst but he soon went back and forth knowing that Blair wasn't going to come out anytime soon, but then he ran the idea of Blair coming out to lock him out of her room completely. Shaking his head in disbelief, he became resolved with the fact that he was just going to have fight his way back inside. Coming down the staircase, he could see Eleanor sitting amongst her guests just laughing and talking like nothing was going on with her daughter upstairs. For a moment he stood in disbelief of how she showed no emotion about finding out her daughters eating disorder, but he knew that was a battle he just couldn't handle at this point, when his biggest one was trying to get Blair out of the bathroom. Heading into the kitchen, Dan went over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water out before he took a big gulp just as Eleanor made her way into the kitchen.

"Okay, we're ready for dessert" Eleanor said trying to rush the staff "Remember to give the sorbet to the chief justice" she reminded the staff as they picked up their trays "What's the progress on Blair, Daniel? I really need her to come down and at least talk with the guests, I mean these are the people that voted her in as the featured debutant" she asked as Dan just stopped drinking and ran through his head how he should even handle this

"I really don't see her coming down anytime soon" Dan told her

"Why is that?" Eleanor asked leaving Dan perplexed with how selective her memory was, letting out a slight chuckle to himself

"I just don't think she's in the state to really come out and socialize" Dan said

"Well I'm not in the mood to socialize, but you have to in order to get ahead. Tell her I expect her to be down in the next twenty minutes" Eleanor said before she turned to walk away

"I'm sorry for being rude, but can you be anymore clueless" Dan said causing Eleanor to stop dead in her tracks while the rest of the staff stood in surprise that he had said that to her

"Is there something that you want to tell me?" Eleanor asked in her stern voice not finding his little outburst funny at all

"I just think you can't expect her to come down and socialize, when she's locked herself in her bathroom" Dan reasoned

"I can and I do expect her to, and I suggest you watch your tone" Eleanor scolded him

"And I respect that, but your daughter is locked away in a bathroom, in a bathroom" Dan said hoping that she would understand where he is coming from "You and I both know why, and yet you still want her to come down to entertain. I'm sorry but that's just stupid" he replied

"You think its stupid? You think its stupid that the very people that have played a part in her future should just wait for her to bother to show up? You think its stupid that I have spent months planning this and she can't even bother to show face on my behalf?…" Eleanor said before he cut her off

"I think what she's dealing with trumps whatever you think situations you throw at me" Dan replied becoming more bold by the minute

**Everyone thinks that I have it al**

**lBut it's so empty living behind these castle walls**

**These castle wallsIf I should tumble if I should fall**

**Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls**

**There's no-one here at all, behind these castle walls**

Rocking back and forth, the tears just ran freely as she couldn't help but feel like she was at her lowest point. She could her the lingering sounds of laughter come from downstairs and she knew that if she ever planned to leave this restroom then she would hear it from her mother. Slowly raising her hand up to the counter top of her bathroom sink, she did her best to control her trembles as even her will power couldn't stop it. Slowly rising to her feet, she did her best to clear away the tears that she was sure was ruining her make up but knew she'd have to reapply if she wanted to be perfect. Reaching over to grab her make up bag, she couldn't help but notice her image in the mirror as if it were a haunting sight looking back at her. Raising her hand to her face, she once traced the outline of her face as she stared on at the ghost of the girl she had thought she had built to be a queen. Bringing her hands to the side of her face, she slowly broke down as she could see the very things that Dan had spoke of. The image of what she once tried to make perfect slowly fade away, and for once she could see the flaws even more clearly than usual. Grabbing for her make up bag, she quickly tried to apply make up to the flaws that she saw from her chubby cheeks to her bloodshot eyes. Her hands seemed to be flying everywhere in a rush to change the image before her, grabbing the scarf that hung up on the rack, she put it around her neck and nervously began to tie it so that she could hide the swollen glands. Going into full on sobs, she tried and tried to make it all go away but the more she tried, the less it worked. Dropping her brush in one quick motion, she brought her hand up slowly to her chest as her face went pale.

**Nobody knows I'm all alone**

**Living in this castle made of stone**

**They say that money is freedom, but I feel trapped inside it all**

**And while I sit so high up on a throne**

**I wonder how I can feel this low**

**On top of the world it's beautiful**

**But there's no place to fall**

"Since you know everything Daniel, tell me, when should I expect my daughter?" Eleanor asked him

"How about you go upstairs and talk to her. I mean what do you expect when your down here and she's up there trying to figure out what the hell is going on with herself" Dan replied angrily

"I don't have time for teenage angst" Eleanor replied

"This goes beyond teenage angst, and you know it" Dan quickly replied as he just stared at her hoping that she would snap out of whatever mode that made her so heartless "She has a serious problem, and she needs you" he told her

"You have no idea what my daughter needs" Eleanor replied

"I know that she needs you, I can't explain it nor care to, but I know that she needs her mother because in your eyes…in your eyes she wants to be perfect. She has this notion that perfection stops and ends with you" Dan said

"No, no, no" Eleanor said shaking her head in disbelief "I will not tolerate this!" she yelled

"You can't just snap your fingers and make this go away" Dan replied

"This is a phase. This is something she is going through that will end in less than a month" Eleanor said trying to convince herself

"If she keeps this up, she might not even have a month because then she'll be dead. People do die from this, when its gone on for this long, people can die" Dan told her

"Yeah, well your wrong. Your wrong" Eleanor told him as she wore a clueless look on her face that seemed like she was more scared than anything but was trying her hardest to remain in control because that's all she's ever known how to be around Dan "And another thing, your fired!" she told him as Dan just grabbed his water

"That's fine. That's fine by me" Dan replied not really even caring anymore about trying to be polite "You know what? I really feel for you. I really feel for you because you try so hard to build this image of perfection, when in reality your far from it. I respect you as a businesswoman, but you can't even see what's right in front of you. It's right in front of you. All the signs are right in front of you, and you just turn a blind eye to it…" he told her

"Are you finished?" Eleanor asked angrily

"It's not a phase, it's a disorder as in this is something that she has been conditioned to think of herself. So she won't just get over it. So once you stop trying to be this image then you'd realize that your daughter needs you more than you even realize" Dan yelled as they heard a loud thump come from upstairs.

**Everyone thinks that I have it all**

**But it's so empty living behind these castle walls**

**These castle wallsIf I should tumble if I should fall**

**Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls**

**There's no-one here at all, behind these castle walls**

Quickly running past Eleanor, Dan made his way up the stairs and went immediately into Blair's room. Doing his best to open the door, he began to realize that it was still locked and that he would have to find another way to open it. Completely in the moment of not really even trying to be polite, he kicked open the door to find Blair laid out on the floor. Coming into the room, Eleanor spotted Dan on the floor with Blair as she quickly ran over to see what was happening. Looking around to see if she had taken anything, Dan's mind went racing as he just tried to put it all together as to what happened but knew that he didn't have all night to sit and ponder. Putting her hand to her mouth as the tears came down, Eleanor screamed out for her daughter while watching her lifeless body. Checking her arm for a pulse, Dan felt that her pulse was weak so he needed to do something in order to necessitate her.

"Stay with me. Stay with me" Dan told Blair as he tilted her neck up to open her mouth so he could begin CPR

"What's happening?" Eleanor questioned

"She's in cardiac arrest" Dan said before he breathed into her mouth

"Help her! Help her!" Eleanor cried out "Just do whatever it takes" she sobbed as all she could do was watch

"One, two, three" Dan said as he pumped her chest then went back to see that her pulse was slowly picking up before he went back to pumping her chest "One, two, three" he said as he pumped her chest

* * *

><p>Looking on at the nurses and doctors just walk on by, they had hoped that one would finally derail the routine path and come over to tell them some bit of news about what was going on with Blair. Playing with her hands uncontrollably, Eleanor was far from the image that she had wanted to create for her and her daughter, but was that of a concerned mother. She played over and over the times when it was her and Blair in her head as if she needed to be reminded the fact that she was a mother, that she at one time thought the world of her little girl. Seeing the nervousness in more ways than one in Eleanor as her knees began to shake while she played with her hands, Dan extended his hand out to place over hers for some comfort. Looking over at the young man, a weak smile came to Eleanor's face as his single gesture showed that he took pity on her when she needed it the most. The waiting game continued on as even though he wouldn't show it, it was starting to get to him as well. He had busied himself with trying to text Serena to let her know that Blair was fine, but he knew he couldn't get into much detail seeing as he wasn't sure how many people knew about the disorder in the first place, so keeping it vague he just assured her that she would be fine and that he would let her know if there was cause to worry about.<p>

"Some Thanksgiving" Eleanor griped as she leaned back in her chair

"I've never had a good Thanksgiving so this is usual for me. Family dysfunction is my specialty" Dan replied "Not yours, I meant…" he said before Eleanor interrupted

"I know what you mean" Eleanor said as a moment of silence came between them

"Did you know? Did you know about her disorder?" Dan asked breaking the silence

"Because that would just top the category off if I was that bad of a mother, wouldn't it?" Eleanor laughed to herself "Some part of me wishes that I did know so I wouldn't be sitting here so surprised, but no, I didn't know" she answered

"Then why did you act the way you did, when you did find out?" Dan asked her

"Because I'm a mother in the Upper Eastside I guess" Eleanor reasoned

"That doesn't make sense" Dan said

"It does when you think about it" Eleanor said "You probably thought or still think that I have no emotional attachment to my child, let her do whatever she pleases, give her money rather than attention, reward her when I know she's doing wrong, and neglect her when she wants my attention even though she won't dare ask for it. That's what you probably think of me, and your right…I'm all those things" she said as tears welled up in her eyes

"And you just accept that? You think that's fine?" Dan asked

"That's all I've known" Eleanor replied "I love my daughter, I love my daughter with every fiber in me" she said

"I get that, but when she needed you the most…you weren't there. She could have died tonight, and in the crucial hours you were entertaining guests" Dan said finding that his sympathy was fading away

"Because I don't know…I don't know how to be a mother. I don't know how to be a wife" Eleanor said "My mother raised me to believe that perfect exist, and in order to be perfect you had to be and act a certain way…my mother was so cold and so distant, but I still strived to be like her. I liked her? Not because she was my mother but because with her I thought and knew that perfection could be reached if you follow the simple rules. She never taught me how to respond when my husband leaves me for another man, she never taught me how to be when my daughter has more of an attachment to her father than to me, she never taught me how to act when my daughter has an eating disorder" she cried "But most of all I don't know how to show her comfort, when I'm the one that did this to her" she said

"You didn't do this to her" Dan quickly said

"I did. I did" Eleanor cried as she shook her head "You can't tell me any other way because the same lessons my mother gave me, I passed down to her" she said

"Then break the cycle" Dan suggested "She never taught you how to be a mother, but you can always be there and sometimes being there counts for more than our inabilities" he said

"Be there? I'm not even sure I know how to do that even" Eleanor said

"Your Eleanor Waldorf, I think you can pick up on it" Dan replied with a slight smile on his face

"And just in case you didn't know, your not fired anymore" Eleanor said

"I kind of figured that" Dan laughed "I think you saw that I don't have such a great relationship with my mother, and that's due to the fact that she just chooses to forget the fact that she is one. So I think that it doesn't matter if your upper class or lower class, being a mother is something that any social class can either get right or get wrong. Half the battle is just being there…so whenever you think that she doesn't want you there, just know that she probably does" he told her before she gripped on tight to his hand just before the doctor made his way over towards them.

* * *

><p>Throughout the night, she had gone in and out of sleep, so she had yet to have a good nights rest. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to see the sun peeking through the blinds as she began to realize once again that she was in a hospital bed. Raiding her hand up, she felt her chest to see that she had attachments hooked up to her chest so that they could monitor her heart rate. Nothing really made sense to her as everything was just one big blur that she couldn't make sense of even if she tried. Sitting up in her bed, she looked over in the corner to see Dan resting his head on his propped up fist while he had his earbuds in his ears as he listened on to his music. Adjusting in his chair, he found that his chair was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute and there was no way that he could hide it as he let out a slight groan. Glancing over at her bed he was caught off guard to see that she was awake. Taking the earbuds out of his ears, he wrapped the earphones around his ipod as they just sat in silence unsure of what they should say to each other after everything that had happened.<p>

"You stayed the night?" Blair asked

"I had nowhere else to go, and I figured it'd be wrong to be at your house while your in the hospital" Dan replied as he got up from his chair to stretch

"And you know what happened? You know what happened to me yesterday?" Blair asked

"Yes, I know everything" Dan replied "I even saved your life" he smiled as he took a seat on the edge of her bed

"That's disgusting" Blair replied as he just laughed

"I know, but this means you owe me one and I'm thinking tickets to a ball game" Dan said

"You've still manage to be delusional" Blair replied

"I saved your life, I deserve something" Dan said

"I bailed you out of jail" Blair brought up

"You got me put in jail in the first place" Dan quickly replied

"I keep forgetting that" Blair said "I guess I can think of some trivial way of repaying you" she said as ran her hand through her hair "So go ahead, tell me how much its going to cost to get you to keep what happened between us and no one else" she then said

"Waldorf, I like torturing you but I would never do that" Dan replied "So my lips are sealed" he said

"You have to want something?" Blair questioned

"There are actually people who do the right thing because they just want to do the right thing" Dan told her

"Those people don't exist" Blair replied

"True, our existence if becoming fewer by the minute, but I guarantee you that your looking at one" Dan said

"Can you be honest with me?" Blair asked as she began to play with her fingers

"I always try to be" Dan laughed

"Do you think something is wrong with me?" Blair asked "I mean now that you know the truth" she said as he took a moment to think

"Nothing is wrong with you" Dan said as he could tell how scared she was to even really talk about it, so not wanting to force the issue, a thought quickly popped into his head over something that he had discovered about her "Though I do think you will think something is wrong with me after I show you something" he said before he got off the bed and walked over to his back pack while Blair just looked over to see what he was doing. Coming back over with two cabbage patch dolls in hand, Dan smiled like an idiot as he put each one on his lap

"Oh my God!" Blair groaned "I can't believe your torturing me like this" she declared as she brought her hands up to her face so that she wouldn't have to see her childhood doll

"I could not believe you had a cabbage patch doll" Dan laughed

"I don't" Blair replied

"I found this in your room, so you can't deny it" Dan said

"What is it with you and stealing things that are mine?" Blair asked

"Call it me being concerned" Dan replied "What's your cabbage patch name?" he then asked

"I'm not telling you" Blair replied

"Fine, mine's name is Cedric" Dan said as he sat them up on her tray

"Cedric? Humphrey you need more help than I realized" Blair said

"Hey, I was a kid" Dan exclaimed as he began to play with them as she couldn't help but laugh at how stupid he looked playing with dolls

"Thank you Humphrey" Blair said as he held out Cedric towards

"Your welcome" Dan said trying to make it look like Cedric said it

"Audrey. That's my dolls name" Blair revealed as she shook her head in disbelief that she was actually telling him this

"After Audrey Hepburn, your so predictable" Dan said as she grabbed Cedric and began to play with him

"I'm not predictable. It's a cute name" Blair reasoned

"As is Cedric" Dan replied

"No, Cedric sounds like you were actually trying to name him in place of actual human friends" Blair laughed as a knock came to the door before Eleanor and Dorota came in with bags in their hands

"Great, the food is here, I'm starved" Dan smiled as he saw Dorota unpack the bags

"What is all of this?" Blair asked

"This is Thanksgiving dinner" Dan said "Since we all pretty much had a crappy Thanksgiving, your mom came up with the brilliant idea to have Thanksgiving do over" he smiled

"You did?" Blair asked her mom

"Yes" Eleanor replied as she grabbed her daughters hand "I know that I may not be the parent you want to spend the holidays with, but I would greatly appreciate it if we could spend the holiday together" she told her

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot" Blair smiled at her mother before Eleanor leaned down to kiss her daughter on the head

"Oh, my God! Audrey" Eleanor smiled as she saw the cabbage patch

"See, cute" Dan told Blair as he grabbed a container of mashed potatoes

"Humphrey, share much?" Blair said

"You have the macaroni and cheese" Dan replied

"Do you always have to stuff your face? I mean could we at least pass it around" Blair said as they went back and forth with their bickering

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics Used in this Chapter:**

**Emily Browning- Sweet Dreams [Are Made of This] (Yeah, I know there are a like three versions out there. This one is from the Suckerpunch soundtrack though)**

**Lupe Fiasco- I Don't Want To Care Right Now**

**T.I. ft/ Christina Aguilera- Castle Walls**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'm sure a lot of you were probably dissappointed with the finale, as was I, but then again I didn't watch because I read the message boards to see if it was even worth it and I'm glad I didn't. I heard they used Adele- Rolling in the Deep for a Chair segment, and I was like I can't watch it now because I don't want them to ruin one of my favorite songs...so weak excuse but I love my music as you can tell. For this chapter I really wanted to paint Eleanor in different shades, I know weird word usage but its late and I want to explain so you don't hate her, because she's basically a product of what she had as a mother. So I hope that you will understand her in this chapter and not hate her because my intention wasn't to make her hated, just extremely flawed as a mother, but willing to want to be one. I saw Suckerpunch the day it came out and I was so in love with the opening sequence so I wanted to incorporate in this chapter so hence the Sweet Dreams song, because it has such a tragic feel to it and I just thought it fit well with what I wanted to do in the opening. Also I used the word perfect a lot because I wanted to show the contradiction of how they want to be perfect, but they just aren't even when they attempt to be...when I was writing I was like how many times have I used that word. **


	10. High Society

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, but I swear the chapters are getting longer each time I write them, and then I have other stories going as well. I want to thank those for the positive reviews, I really appreciated them for Blair Waldorf Must Pie! because that was a chapter solely towards Blair's eating disorder. It wasn't meant to be a steamy chapter for Dair but to show how close they're becoming due to her secret, I want to always keep the fact that they connect more on a deeper level than just the physical attraction. Also I do want to address some of the questions from the reviews.**

**Are Dan and Serena still together? [I paraphrased]: Yes, they're still together. I think it will be clear though where the path will go, I don't want to spoil because I think after you read you'll see, and who else see's it as well. But Derena are together still, but a new dynamic will emerge for Dair soon, real soon.**

**When will the rated M kick in? [I paraphrased]: Soon, real soon ;)**

**Well those are all the questions I can remember being asked, but if you have any questions please feel free to ask and I'll be more than happy to answer them. So I hope you enjoy the chapter and I would love to get your feedback.**

**Chapter Ten- High Society**

**[Flash Forward 72 Hours]**

Their tongues dueled for control as they went back and forth the whole way up the staircase. Her hands ran wild through his hair as she had dreamed of this moment since she was a little girl, and now to have it with the very boy she longed for just seemed overwhelming for her. Pulling him in closer towards her, she deepened the kiss and for a split second could feel him finally give in to her. With his eyes open, he looked down at his watch to realize that he hadn't as much time as he suspected that it would originally take, so in an effort to speed things up he quickly turned around so that her back was pressed up against his body. Feeling the intensity of passion coursing through her veins, she could only hope that he would be this demanding in between the sheets as the anticipation was growing and growing for her by the minute. Kissing her neck, he used his free hand to open the door before leading her inside of the hotel room. Quickly turning her towards him, she made them fall back on to the bed as her hands ran freely and touched places that a young woman wouldn't dare touch in public, but only behind closed doors. Pinning her hands back on the bed, he feverishly attacked her lips as he made the trail all the way down to her plump breasts. Caressing his chest, her hands made their way down to his privates before she got in a good squeeze that caused him to pull away.

"Too much?" The girl asked

"Yes, too much" Carter replied

"I'll be gentle, I promise" The girl promised as she tried to lower him down towards him but an instant thought came to him in the moment that caused him to pull against her desired destination

"I…I don't have any condoms" Carter quickly stated

"It's okay. I'm on the pill" The girl smiled up at him as she once again tried to pull him towards her and again met the same hesitation from him

"But I need to have the condom. I trust you and all, but I need my rubbers just for my own sake" Carter reasoned

"Well can't you just pull out…don't you guys have tricks to get around that small issue?" The girl asked

"First of all, it's not small…it's very much a big deal. Second, I don't do tricks, I like it the old fashioned way, you know, I like my balls to be rubbered" Carter quickly defended "I just don't think I can go through with this without it" he said as he slowly backed away

"What? Carter, c'mon. Can't you just get one from a friend?" The girl asked

"I could but I don't trust random rubbers. I need to have my own" Carter said as she hope that if she got him in the mood then he would forget about his condoms. Unzipping his pants as he continued to babble on about the importance of his own rubbers, Carter quickly turned his attention back to the willing girl "No, no, no, no" he said pushing her face away from his boxers "I don't think that's necessary, I get that you want it" he laughed nervously

"But I'm getting the feeling that you don't want to" The girl said

"My rubber is like my binky I guess" Carter said as he once again looked down at the time "Here, I have a suggestion" he brought up

"Suggestions are good because I don't have all night, I have to be back downstairs before they do the announcements and since I'm the featured debutant, it'll look bad if I'm not there on time" The girl said "So do whatever you have to do because your officially on the clock" she said before she squeezed his butt cheeks

"Oh, wow! Your really frisky" Carter laughed feeling like he was being man handled "Okay, well I'm going to get a rubber from my trusty friend and then when I get back…" he said before she interrupted

"I'm going to rock your world" The girl smiled feeling confident in her ability

"I bet you will" Carter smiled as he slowly backed away "So you just stay all frisky and I'll be back with my rubber ball…I mean the rubber" he said before he finally made his way out of the room. Resting up against the closed door, Carter let out a sigh of relief as he was able to escape the clutches of the horny female admirer. Looking down at his watch once more, he was glad to see that he managed to get out of there at the nick of time. Pulling his cell phone out, he quickly went to his calling circle to make a phone call. "Okay, we're set" he said before he ended the call. Looking around to make sure that there were no witnesses, he turned back to the door to lock it before fixing himself up before he made his way back downstairs towards the party.

* * *

><p><strong>[Present]<strong>

Staring on at the lifeless room that once was occupied by the demanding brunette that she came to love as her own, Dorota clutched on tight to her laundry basket before she did all that she could to hold back the welled up tears in her eyes. Closing the door to her room, she made her way downstairs in hopes to see Dan come out with his coffee in hand, which would usually lead to the morning banter between Dan and Blair, but today she'd see no remnants of Dan being. Putting her laundry basket down in the cleaning room, Dorota pulled out her cell phone as she made her way over to the printed instructions that Blair had left behind for her to give her minions for the day. Diligently going about her task, Dorota felt as if this remedial task brought her one step closer to Blair but knew that this separation wouldn't last long and that she had to weather the storm. Her phone immediately went off as she checked to see who had sent her a text, Jenny secretly was glad to see that it was a text from Blair as opposed from Eric. Reading the message, Jenny was even more confused that once again Blair would not be at school and that her minions would have to go about their tasks without her overlooking them. Not realizing that he was coming up towards her, Eric caught the blond off guard once she looked up.

"Holy crap! You scared me" Jenny said as she nearly jumped back in surprise

"I really surprised you that much? Wow! You scare easily" Eric laughed

"Yeah, well you know that I don't do well with horror movies" Jenny said

"Aw c'mon, horror movies aren't nearly as scary as they used to be" Eric laughed

"Yeah, well they still manage to get to me. I just got my daily tasks from Blair or sent from Blair, she's not even here" Jenny told him

"You'd be surprised what Blair can get done even when she's not present. I heard she got a look a like to serve her detention" Eric laughed

"She is all knowing" Jenny said

"So how was your Thanksgiving?" he asked becoming nervous in getting to what he wanted to know

"It was good. I went up to Hudson to be with my mom" Jenny said

"I thought your mom…" Eric said before she interrupted

"Dan decided to kick my mom out of the family, I didn't like that, so I got mad and went to be with her for the holidays" Jenny reported back to him

"So I see you were serious when you say the holidays for the Humphrey's consist of family dysfunction. I thought your family would be the wholesome one that made the rest of us seem superficial and shallow as a family unit?" Eric asked

"We have our moments, but we're currently in the phase of I'm mad at my brother and father" Jenny said "How was your holidays?" she then asked

"It was good. My grandmother managed to turn it into a party, so that was lovely to have not one turkey but numerous turkeys along with strangers to bow our heads with" Eric joked "My grandma even managed to come back with us…she says its because she had a great time with us but its because of Cotillion, its always for Cotillion" he said

"That's right. Cotillion, Katy and Isabel have only talked about Cotillion for the past minute of every day" Jenny sighed

"Cotillion is just another party but with ball gowns" Eric said

"Just another party? I hardly think Cotillion is just another party, this is the party" Jenny said

"Yeah, well Serena has the same viewpoint but I don't see it that way. So you can call me a typical guy then" Eric said

"Fine, you're a typical guy then" Jenny said

"So have you had any time to think about what happened before break?" Eric asked her

"I really haven't…everything with my family and all…"Jenny said before Eric interrupted

"Its okay. I was actually hoping that we could talk about over dinner or something…you know just a simple friends dinner" Eric said

"I would, but Blair sort of sent out this task list thing and I have school so by the time I finish this it'll be late" Jenny told him "Can we do something tomorrow?" she asked

"My grandmother is having a dinner party tomorrow, and she wants the family together for pictures" Eric sighed "See, Cotillion is all ready messing things up" he laughed

"Well we'll talk, when we have time we will talk" Jenny assured him

"When we have time" Eric said hoping that it didn't sound as bad but the connation did little to make it sound better

"I missed you" Jenny smiled

"I missed you too" Eric said before he slowly backed away

* * *

><p>Feeling the pointed edges of his textbook poke against his skin, his eyes began to flutter open to realize that he had drifted off to sleep from last nights study session. Slowly sitting up in the bed, Dan looked over to see that her back was towards him and when he finally accessed the situation he was alarmed to see them both in a spooning position. In an effort to keep Blair up to date with what they were learning in their classes together, he had come by after work to help her out with the homework so that he could turn it in for her the next day. His eyes nearly bulged out as he couldn't believe that she had allowed him in her bed in the first place, let alone be this close in proximity. Looking over at the clock, he quickly hopped out of the bed and began to gather his stuff in a hurry as he was officially late for school. Hearing his rustling going on around the room, Blair soon began to awaken and she too had the same shock to know that he had stayed over again last night. Just sitting with a shocked face, she watched him scurry about trying to put his papers in the right textbooks, and she somewhat felt relieved to know that they were at least studying when they had drifted off to sleep. In her mind she knew that she was glad he stayed over with her because for the times he did stay over, she'd had a better sleep than the previous nights, but she would never admit that to him.<p>

"Now I've officially lost my mind" Blair said as she rubbed her eyes

"Yeah, well you would think you'd hide your disgust by now, but clearly an institution hasn't changed your attitude" Dan said as he put his shoes on

"There's not much disgust to hide, but I guess I should be semi- happy that you've helped me with my homework" Blair shrugged "Your visits have made up for my best friends lack of presence" she sighed

"Before you put her back on frenemy status, Serena's grandmother is in town apparently" Dan said

"CiCi is town? Well I guess it shouldn't be so surprising with Cotillion season in full bloom" Blair said "I guess I should keep her under the friend category" she agreed

"What is she like some Cotillion loving woman?" Dan asked

"CiCi is on the board for Cotillion, I'm shocked that she even allowed for me to be the featured debutant with as much promotion she gives Serena" Blair said "CiCi is the epitome of the Upper Eastside" she stated

"And here I thought it was you" Dan teased "Serena wants me to meet her but I don't think I'll get the opportunity seeing as Carter is her date to Cotillion" he said as Blair just laughed

"Wow! Cici wastes no time" Blair laughed to herself "Yeah, you've clearly made it on her don't have time for list" she said

"She hasn't even met me?" Dan replied

"She doesn't need to meet you. If your don't have a trust fund or corporate in your future than your just a waste of time" Blair said

"Carter isn't….but he's got a trust fund. Great, I'm screwed either way" Dan sighed

"See, all those times you think I was trying to get you fired, those were just times I was trying to spare you from future embarrassment" Blair said

"Aw, how nice of you" Dan replied sarcastically "What is it with the whole Cotillion mess?" he then asked

"Cotillion mess? Humphrey, you make my heckling of you so easy when you say dumb statements like that. Cotillion in the Upper Eastside is like the one thing that shows rank amongst the females…it's the difference in the pretenders and the contenders" Blair said "If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get out for Cotillion that way the rumor mill won't be a buzz about my absence" she said "Though I'm a little concerned that it hasn't so far…I don't know whether to be happy or offended by this" she then added

"So you want to plastered on Gossip Girl? You want people to wonder where you are?" Dan asked a little confused by her want "Don't you think that would make your recovery more difficult?" he asked her

"You make me sound like I'm some sort of freak or something" Blair sighed

"I didn't intend for it to come out like that, but you not being on Gossip Girl is a good thing" Dan said

"Me not being on there just will add more pressure for when I do go back" Blair said "You wouldn't understand this but I've had to work for what I have, and me being in here gives one wannabe the idea that I can be replaced, and then like that there will be a siege on my thrown" she said

"You do realize that you've self proclaimed yourself the Queen. This is pressure you put on yourself, not the Upper Eastside" Dan told her

"Well you try being in here then? Its not all gumdrops in here where I learn and get better, regardless of what happens in here its still a struggle. This is still something I have to deal with and with the mistakes I've made….its harder than you think to just recover" Blair said

"Look, I respect the fact that your even stepping up and dealing with your problems…" Dan said before Blair interrupted

"You respect me now?" Blair asked a bit shocked that he would say that, but in some odd way she felt like it meant something to her that someone who had seen her at her darkest could still think highly of her.

"Yeah, I do respect you" Dan told her as the two just looked at each other for a moment before he finally broke eye contact with her "Maybe your probably right on that front about me not understanding you…maybe I should do more listening than talking" Dan smiled at her "So if you were the feature debutant, then what does that mean for you?" he asked

"Basically everything I've worked for since my father left. It just solidifies me as the Queen Bee. Serena is the it-girl and I'm the Queen Bee, that's just how it goes and Cotillion will just prove that" Blair said

"Do you ever think that you could live beyond the titles?" Dan asked "I mean does it really matter if your not Queen Bee?" he asked

"Again, it baffles me the stupidity that comes out of your mouth from time to time" Blair told him as she looked at him with much confusion on her face

"Have you heard from your dad?" Dan asked "With everything that's been going on?" he added

"He's called. He wanted to come in and see me, but I think with everything be so fresh between Eleanor and I, I told him that it wouldn't be necessary" Blair said

"But I thought seeing your dad is what you wanted?" Dan asked

"I do, but I see my mom trying…she even stayed the night and slept in a chair, she never sleeps in anything but her bed. I would love to see my dad, but I like where things are going with my mom and I" Blair told him with a slight smile coming to her face "Who knew it'd take an eating disorder to get her attention" she sighed

"I'm not condoning her actions, but she's a busy woman and I think almost losing someone can make you rethink a lot of things" Dan replied

"I heard you even got fired, its amazing all the multiple ways you could have gotten fired if I would have just let you screw up on your own" Blair teased

"And there goes the moment" Dan declared as he got up from his seat

"Will you please tell S to tear herself away from her routine driven grandmother, so she can come see about me?" Blair asked

"Will do" Dan said as he put his books in his backpack "Did you finish the worksheet?" he then asked as she reached over to her nightstand to hand him the papers "What's with the numerous pages, it was just a worksheet?" he asked

"I wrote explanations, along with citations for my theories" Blair said as Dan just glared at her "Your not the only smart person" she scoffed just as a knock came to the door. Walking over to open the door, Dan was surprised to see Eleanor standing on the other side with the doctor beside her

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Eleanor asked

"I came by to do homework" Dan explained "I'm actually late, but I will see you later, hopefully with Serena" he turned to tell the brunette before he left the room

"Mother. Doctor" Blair greeted them as Eleanor took a seat next to Blair's bedside

"How did you rest last night?" Eleanor asked

"Surprisingly well" Blair replied as she thought about her previous nights rest "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at work?" she asked

"I had to meet with your doctor today" Eleanor said

"About?" Blair asked a little confused

"Well I discussed your treatment plan with your mother for your bulimia. I just need to follow up with some more questions so that we can determine the level of severity" The Doctor said as he took a seat on the stool

"Wouldn't you think in general the diagnostic is severe, no matter the level?" Eleanor asked

"Yes and no. There are some people who are new to the disorder, who've only done it for a short amount of time that can be treated through therapy and even drug therapy. Then there are some who have been battling the disorder for quite some time and may need more attention" The Doctor said "So Blair, I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer as truthful as possible" he told her

"Okay" Blair sighed as Eleanor took her daughters hand to show that she was going to be by her side through all of this

"Are you or have you been obsessed with your body and your weight?" The Doctor asked

"Yes" Blair replied

"To what extent?" The Doctor asked

"Isn't it obvious?" Blair replied

"I mean what have you done to improve what you saw as flaws?" The Doctor asked

"I've bought Ipecac Syrup to help me throw up easier. Laxatives, diet pills, fat burners, I had a bout with amphetamine but I didn't like the effect it had on me" Blair said as she glanced over to see how her mother was taking the news

"And what was your preference?" The Doctor asked

"All of those except the amphetamines. They pretty much did the job, which was of course momentary but I've used them all frequently" Blair told him

"Does food and dieting dominate your life?" The Doctor asked as Blair began to choke back tears that were coming to her. Looking over at her mother as if she needed some sort of confirmation of if she should tell the whole truth, Eleanor nodded at her to say that she could tell the whole truth.

"Yes" Blair answered

"And how so?" The Doctor asked as he looked from Blair to Eleanor as if the two were correlated in this question

"My mother is a fashion designer, I'm an image of her work at all times" Blair said through tears

"So has your mother pressured you?" The Doctor asked

"Indirectly, yes" Blair replied as she let go of her mothers hand

"Are you afraid that when you start eating that you won't be able to stop?" The Doctor asked

"Yes" Blair answered

"Do you ever eat until you feel sick?" The Doctor asked

"Yes" Blair answered as the questions started to come at a faster pace

"Do you feel guilty, ashamed, depressed after you eat?" The Doctor asked

"Yes" Blair said as tears streamed down her face

"Can you recall any events that have triggered your bulimia?" The Doctor asked

"My parents divorce and…my best friend, Serena van der Woodsen" Blair said

"What is it about those two things that trigger your disorder?" The Doctor asked

"A child grows up thinking that their parents are going to be together forever, I mean that's what you see all over the movies…the mother and father, together. When my dad left it just lead to my mother putting more pressure on me to be this image of perfection to hide all the imperfections of our family. My father was a homosexual, who left us to be with another man…that's enough to make anyone question their worth" Blair replied

"Do you ever feel like you eternalized your mother's problems as your own?" The Doctor asked

"Yes" Blair replied as she could hear the silent sobs of her mother beside her, and all she could do was try her best not to cry

"And you said your best friend triggers your disorder, how so?" The Doctor asked

"Because she's perfect" Blair laughed sadly as tears came down "She's what I will never be, and no one want to look at what they will never be" she said

"Is she aware of this?" The Doctor asked

"She's my best friend…I could never tell her that" Blair replied as The Doctor finished up his notes before looking back at Blair and her mother.

* * *

><p>Flipping through the television channels in her room, the television program was soon interrupted by a sponsored message from the facility that let them know that it was time for weigh in. Sluggishly getting up off of her bed, she threw the remote control back on to the bed before she grabbed her folder that had her name labeled on it. Coming out of her room, she immediately fell into line with the rest of the girls as they too were going to get weighed in. Looking on at the girls in front and behind her, there was no way on the outside of these walls that she would ever be in close proximity with them but she was slowly starting to realize over the past four days in the institution that there was nothing that made her better than them. In her mind she was starting to see that her advantages were also her disadvantages when it came to her disorder and that this time she was just a girl with a problem. Moving at a snail pace, she had more time to reflect on what got her there and could start to see the uphill battle that she was facing.<p>

**I stare at my reflection in the mirror:**

**"Why am I doing this to myself?"**

**Losing my mind on a tiny error,**

**I nearly left the real me on the shelf , **

**no, no, no, no...**

**[Flashback]**

_Rocking back and forth, the tears just ran freely as she couldn't help but feel like she was at her lowest point. She could her the lingering sounds of laughter come from downstairs and she knew that if she ever planned to leave this restroom then she would hear it from her mother. Slowly raising her hand up to the counter top of her bathroom sink, she did her best to control her trembles as even her will power couldn't stop it. Slowly rising to her feet, she did her best to clear away the tears that she was sure was ruining her make up but knew she'd have to reapply if she wanted to be perfect. Reaching over to grab her make up bag, she couldn't help but notice her image in the mirror as if it were a haunting sight looking back at her. Raising her hand to her face, she once traced the outline of her face as she stared on at the ghost of the girl she had thought she had built to be a queen. Bringing her hands to the side of her face, she slowly broke down as she could see the very things that Dan had spoke of. The image of what she once tried to make perfect slowly fade away, and for once she could see the flaws even more clearly than usual. Grabbing for her make up bag, she quickly tried to apply make up to the flaws that she saw from her chubby cheeks to her bloodshot eyes. Her hands seemed to be flying everywhere in a rush to change the image before her, grabbing the scarf that hung up on the rack, she put it around her neck and nervously began to tie it so that she could hide the swollen glands. Going into full on sobs, she tried and tried to make it all go away but the more she tried, the less it worked. Dropping her brush in one quick motion, she brought her hand up slowly to her chest as her face went pale._

_**[End of Flashback]**_

**Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!**

**Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,**

**It's okay not to be okay **

**Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart**

**Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,**

**Just be true to who you are!**

Sitting at her desk filling out paperwork from her previous patient, the nurse quickly turned around once she completed her notes to grab the folder from Blair. Sifting through her paperwork, the nurse seemed as if she was trying to memorize the important things before she pointed over to the white backdrop. Slowly taking her robe off of her, Blair bit down on her bottom lip so that she could stop herself from even shedding one drop of a tear before putting the robe down on the gurney. Following the instructions of the nurse, she stepped up to the marker, making sure her body was turned sideways before the nurse took a picture. Turning to face the nurse, Blair had a cold and distant look on her face because in this moment all she kept wishing that this was all a nightmare and not her reality.

**Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?**

**I forgot what to do to fit the mould, yeah!**

**The more I try the less it's working, yeah**

**'Cause everything inside me screams**

**No, no, no, no, no...**

Stepping on to the scale, Blair looked on at the measuring stick go little past the hundred marker on the scale. Jotting down the weight, she half expected some sort of comment from the nurse but instead all she received was the silence. It was a silence she was familiar with, but this silence only added to her degradation as her body was on full display and there was nothing she could do to show the potential of what it could be, but show all that its been through. Stepping down off the scale, she was immediately met with measuring tape as the nurse began to measure her waist, her arms, her thighs and any possible area that could be measured…it was measured. Putting her measuring tape down on the table, the nurse grabbed her flashlight and checked her pupils for broken blood vessels.

**Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!**

**Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,**

**It's okay not to be okay **

**Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart**

** Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,**

**There's nothing wrong with who you are!**

Turning to look back at the next girl speaking, Blair couldn't help but feel the pain of what this girl felt. Every detail, every feeling, every reasoning, and every logic behind it made sense to her and that's what scared her the most. Hearing these stories made her horrified in one aspect, but then it made her feel like she was a ghost of herself because there was no room to judge someone else of the very actions she's done to herself. Sinking in further into her chair, Blair ran her hands through her hair as she became even more nervous as it was coming close to her time to speak. The group leader lead the clap as everyone else in the room joined in on praising the young woman for her shared story, before she looked on at Blair. Feeling as if she could take off and running, she took a deep breath before running her hand down her thighs as she just searched for the words to say.

"My name is Blair. I have been battling bulimia ever since I was ten years old" Blair said as she began to play with her fingers.

* * *

><p>Coming out of his classroom, Dan was finally relieved to only have one class to go before he could finally call it a day. Even though he had managed to get some bit of sleep, he still found himself lacking some sleep that he wanted to catch up on. Throughout the day, he couldn't help but think about what Blair had told him earlier about what life was like in the Ostroff Center, and although he liked to paint her experience as a time in which she would get better, he knew that it had to take a toll on her to constantly get the feeling like she was sick, like she was abnormal from the rest of the world. Never did he think that he could see through her perspective, and at times it made him cringe but when it came to her eating disorder, he found himself having a soft spot towards her the past couple of weeks with the more he was learning about her. Finally clueing in on the fact that Carter was babbling about something beside him, Dan looked over to see that he was flipping through the latest gadget magazine as they walked over to join the waiting Serena. Opening up his locker, Dan quickly put away his books as he just laughed at Carter's love for the gadgets. Closing his locker, he soon heard his friend stop in mid sentence as Chutney Aarons had passed by them, looking specifically at Carter with a look that said she only had one thing on her mind when it came to him.<p>

"Hi Carter" Chutney smiled at Carter as she passed by while all Carter could do was hide his face in disgust

"I believe you have an admirer" Serena smiled as she leaned in towards Dan's chest as he wrapped his hand around her waist

"More like a stalker" Carter replied as he went back to looking at his magazine

"Who is she?" Dan asked

"Someone I care to forget" Carter quickly replied

"Oh, she's far more special than that" Serena laughed "That is Chutney Aarons, she's had a crush on Carter since prep school" she told him

"What's wrong with her?" Dan asked Carter

"She's too obsessive. In prep school she used to take pictures of me when I wasn't looking and hang them up in her locker. She'd bribe the principal into putting me in the same classes as her because she said I was mentally challenged and needed her help" Carter told Dan

"So you were the mentally challenged boy she helped through prep school" Serena laughed "She used that on her application for featured debutant" she said

"Figures" Carter sighed

"I thought Blair was the so called featured deb?" Dan asked

"That's been the word at practice. Most people think that Blair has taken a leave of absence, so they think that's not a quality a featured debutant should have. My grandma told me that Chutney was the runner up in the votes so it went to her" Serena said

"I'm surprised Cici didn't rig the voting to put you as the featured deb" Carter laughed

"She's done enough damage by making me go with you" Serena said

"Hey, my intentions weren't to even attend but when your parents start threatening you with lawyers present, then all screw you power goes out the window" Carter said

"So what's suppose to happen to Blair?" Dan asked

"Eleanor came to the board and requested that Blair be mentioned but won't be attending" Serena said

"Wait, so she's not going at all?" Carter asked

"That's the impression that Eleanor gave" Serena said

"She probably thinks this will be too much for her" Dan sighed

"Well wouldn't it be? I mean girls turn vicious come Friday night. I heard there is a Peek-A-Boo party meant to embarrass Samantha Hartford so that Katy and Isobel could move up a spot" Carter said

"That's tactics of Katy and Isobel, not everyone else" Serena said

"Said the girl who's grandmother has inside connec" Carter replied

"Cici is not that bad" Serena reasoned

"Oh, you've got to be joking right? Cici is the scariest old woman I have ever met. It amazes me that Lilly is even semi-normal" Carter said

"Yeah, I'm not getting good vibes when it comes to Cici. Is she that bad?" Dan asked

"No" Serena said "I still want you to meet her" she said

"But does she want to meet me? I mean she knew you had a boyfriend and she still set you up with someone else" Dan said

"Because I agreed a year ago that I would go with Carter just to make her happy, it was a promise I had to keep" Serena said

"I love the fact that I'm being used to appease the pacemaker" Carter replied

"I want you to meet her, she'd love you" Serena told Dan

"Or hate me" Dan sighed

"She won't. Look, its bad enough that I won't be able to dance with you at Cotillion, I really want to share some aspect of the evening with you" Serena said

"But Cotillion? I mean the name even freaks me out…I feel like I should have my taxes in order or something" Dan joked as Carter couldn't help but laugh

"Okay, now your being silly" Serena replied

"I'm being practical" Dan said

"So your not even going to entertain the thought of coming to meet her?" Serena asked

"Would you?" Dan asked

"Okay, well….are you coming to Cotillion at least?" Serena asked

"Yes" Dan sighed before Serena smiled as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss

"Well I'll see you after school then, maybe do a little shopping…" Serena said becoming more excited by the moment

"I have to do some studying after school, but can we meet up tonight?" Dan asked

"I can't. Cici is hosting a dinner tonight" Serena said

"For who?" Carter asked trying got make a point

"Point made" Serena said before she gave Dan another quick kiss before she walked away. Turning back to his locker, Dan looked through his notes once more while all Carter could do was look at him suspiciously

"Your beyond transparent" Carter said

"What are you talking about?" Dan asked

"The yes, it sounded so…so, so dry" Carter said in search of the word

"It was a yes, its not like I'm trying to go to Cotillion" Dan said

"No guy wants to, but they're going because of the possibilities afterward. I don't think you understand the essence of Cotillion. Cotillion evokes so much emotion in girls that their bound to hit every emotion including hornieness, you could finally lose your v-card on Saturday" Carter said

"How you equate Cotillion to sex is surprising" Dan replied

"Because I know this, I've seen it. Serena is basically begging you to go with her so you can finally consummate your relationship, but you still have your seatbelt on" Carter said

"My seatbelt?" Dan asked

"Yes, your seatbelt" Carter replied "It's like your not into the Serena appeal anymore" he said

"She's my girlfriend, I'd have to be into her" Dan said

"You said have to, you make it seem like it's a requirement. Your with Serena van der Woodsen and you make it seem like your with a regular girl" Carter said

"Because she actually is a normal girl. She hates that whole it-girl appeal that people stick on her" Dan said

"Oh, please. She likes the attention, every girl likes the attention. The attention is what makes you around here" Carter said

"And the attention is what landed you know who in you know where. Look I like Serena, always have, I just don't see the point in going to this Cotillion" Dan said

"I'm not buying that excuse. I'm on to you" Carter declared as Dan walked away

* * *

><p>He was well on his way to the library like he had said he would go, but by the time he made it he found himself eager to just leave the campus. Leaving the campus he had no doubt as to where he wanted to go as she had remained in his thoughts ever since his morning visit or his night over. Everything around school seemed to rotate heavily around Cotillion, so he finally had to accept that it was a topic that he would have to deal with. Stepping off of the bus, as he walked down the street towards the Ostroff Center, he got this depressing vibe as soon as he turned the corner. When Jenny had been talking to him, she had always mentioned how depressing the Center was but he never believed it until he actually started to come here. Entering the institution, Dan greeted the guards and the receptionist before boarding the elevator. Everything from top to bottom was just so depressing that even he felt the need to want to commit himself. Stepping off the elevator, he immediately began to tug at his book bag so that he would have his assignments out that way it didn't look like he just stopped by to visit, but instead just came by to do homework with him. With books in hand, he walked up to the door to see her just laying on the bed staring up at the ceiling.<p>

"Waldorf" Dan said as he entered the room

"Do you know that the only color in this whole institution is beige. I mean its beige everywhere. Beige bathrooms, beige cafeteria, beige chairs, and now a beige ceiling…everything is so beige" Blair said as if she were completely out of it

"I picked that up on the way up here" Dan said "How were your meetings?" he asked

"Beige" Blair replied

"Waldorf" Dan said as he sat on the edge of the bed

"They were meetings, what more do you want me to say?" Blair asked

"Uh, were they helpful?" Dan asked

"Yes, they helped me realize how screwed up I am. I mean you know what your doing and in your mind you justify it as the right thing, but when you listen to someone else talk about sticking their finger down their throat or making laxative shakes…you judge them in that split second then it dawns on you, I did that. I'm just as bad as they are" Blair sighed

"I think that's suppose to be the point" Dan replied

"And here I thought I was suppose to build my self esteem up" Blair replied "Mission not accomplished" she then said

"It'll get better. You at least know that you have a problem" Dan pointed out just trying to make her feel better

"I'm well aware of that, I just don't want to think about that problem every second of the day" Blair said as a moment of silence came between them "What are you doing here Humphrey?" she asked

"I have the notes from class today" Dan said holding up his notebook

"I thought he was just going over the chapter?" Blair asked as she sat up in the bed

"Yeah, but its new notes added to the chapter notes" Dan said "And I also heard the news from Serena about what your mom did" he said

"Yeah, she painted it up real nice for me" Blair said sarcastically "I don't want you to fixate on something that might lead you to focus in on flaws, that's what she told me. Then the doctor said he wants my emotions to remain in balance" she said

"Maybe going to this Cotillion would cause you to fixate on the flaws" Dan hesitantly agreed

"Newsflash! I get that I have a disorder, but I'm not a freak!" Blair yelled at him "I appreciate that people want to help, but I just….I feel like I can't breath in this place" she told him

"She's just trying to do what's best" Dan said

"Oh my God!" Blair screamed "Humphrey, just go. I can handle the notes, but I just…go!" she yelled at him before Dan looked over at the television screen to see a message pop up

"You have to" Dan said as Blair just glared at him "You have a meeting to go to" he told her before she looked over at the television screen

"I feel like I'm living out the book The Giver" Blair said as she angrily got up from the bed and grabbed her folder as she made her way out of the room while he could do was feel like he made things worse for her. Heading out of the room after he put his book bag down, Dan was quickly caught off guard when he bumped into Eric out in the lobby.

"I'm sorry" Eric immediately responded

"It's okay" Dan laughed "What are you doing here?" he asked

"You clearly aren't speaking to Jenny" Eric said "I used to stay here, I'm the one that tried to off himself" he joked

"Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah to both things. Oh, were you on your way to a meeting?" Dan asked

"No, I just came from a meeting. They like to break us up into conditions, people that want to kill themselves and then the people that hate food in another" Eric said "I never took you as a food hater, you know since Serena has picked up strange eating habits since meeting you" he said

"I'm not. Blair is the one that's in here" Dan told him

"Oh, yeah. Serena mentioned that to me but I just figure they were in their frienemy stage" Eric said "How is she?" she asked

"Bored" Dan quickly replied "She's come to realize that beige is everywhere in here" he said

"That tends to be the sign of boredom in here" Eric laughed "How long has she been in?" she asked

"Since Monday" Dan said "And she'll be missing Cotillion" he said

"Wow! So she'll probably hate this place come Friday night" Eric said

"I've heard about the Friday craziness" Dan laughed

"It goes beyond crazy come Friday" Eric said

"But you've stayed here?" Dan asked

"Yes" Eric replied as he started to come to the conclusion of where Dan was getting at "And you want to know what to do around here" he concluded

"Basically" Dan said before Eric pulled out a piece of paper and pen from

* * *

><p>Sifting through her e-mails from Katy and Isobel, Jenny grew tired of reading every little detail that was needed for their Cotillion dresses. Blair of course had been absent since Monday, so that put Katy and Isobel in charge of the minions since they were next in line. On top of still completing Blair's demands, Jenny had to take up organizing Cotillion dresses that were sent to her in an effort for them to know what every girl was wearing so they could do the complete opposite. Samantha Hartford was going to be the latest victim of their wrath as Isobel had her eyes set not only on her dress but her line up number as well. Being so close to Cotillion action allowed Jenny to realize how ruthless it could be, but in the same time she grew to be envious of the girls that got to shop for the hundred dollar dresses and the expensive diamonds that would be draped all over them, there was nothing that didn't catch her eye about any of this. As much as she wanted to be in envy of the girls, she couldn't help but struggle through her own battle of surviving her appearance in the rumor mill. She had learned of the latest rumor that featured her in Hudson, but she thought it had to have been a mistake but as the day progressed she started to realize that it wasn't. According to the latest, Jenny had been deflowered, by who is what left her puzzled as she searched the archives of Gossip Girl. Just as she was going insane with who Gossip Girl had her linked to other than Chuck, Chuck himself joined her at the computer.<p>

"What are you searching for?" Chuck asked

"My supposed guy that deflowered me" Jenny said as she didn't tear her eyes away from the screen

"Oh, so I see you've read the rumor" Chuck laughed

"It's not funny" Jenny quickly replied "Especially when it's completely false, if Dan knew about this he would kill me" she said

"And why would he kill you? Your able to make your own decisions" Chuck said

"You clearly haven't met my father, this is kill worthy buzz" Jenny said "I just don't understand why I'm Gossip Girls target now" she sighed

"That just means your breaking in finally to the inside" Chuck said

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked

"I mean what I intended. Your affiliated with Blair Waldorf, your friends with Eric van der Woodsen, and you know Chuck Bass" Chuck told her

"Yes, but I still don't want rumors put on the internet about me" Jenny said

"Is it true?" Chuck asked

"No" Jenny quickly replied

"Then think nothing of it. Your always going to get linked to someone, regardless if you seclude yourself to a box" Chuck said "The only way you can stop the rumors is if you break of contact with Blair, Eric, and me. Then you'll have you squeaky clean image like you wanted" he said

"I'm not squeaky clean" Jenny replied as Chuck just looked her like she was joking "Okay, well I'm not a bad girl per se but I'm not that innocent. Okay, now that sounded like a Britney Spears song" she then commented

"Embrace it and move on. It comes along with the territory" Chuck said

"And that's your solution? that's how you handle it?" Jenny asked

"I don't even bother to read Gossip Girl, of course I hear about anyways because this school consists of nothing but teeny boppers" Chuck told her "But, yeah. I would take my advice" he said as he cell phone began to vibrate from the text message she had received. Picking the phone up, she let out a sigh as she saw that it was Eric. Not wanting to deal with the awkwardness even through text, she put the phone down quickly only for Chuck to realize that she was in avoidance mode.

"I can see who is all ready on the chopping block first" Chuck said as he noticed Eric's name on the caller identification

"It's not like that" Jenny sighed

"Then do tell why your avoiding a van der Woodsens call?" Chuck asked

"Because" Jenny said as Chuck just laughed

"Okay, that makes you sound mature" Chuck said

"Me being mature has become a fleeting thought. I have this stupid rumor and then that kiss to worry about, its all becoming too much" Jenny stressed

"Kiss? Eric and you kissed?" Chuck asked

"Yes. He kissed me and then I kind of sort of kissed him back, so there was a kiss" Jenny explained

"Do you like him?" Chuck asked

"I don't know" Jenny sighed "I just genuinely don't know. I mean he's the closest thing I've got to a best friend, and I just….I don't know what to do anymore" she said

"Start by telling him the truth" Chuck replied

"I don't know the truth" Jenny said "Haven't you been listening?" she asked

"Yes, and it just sounds like a bunch of babble" Chuck said becoming frustrated with the back and forth "Its real simple and your making this all so difficult. Ignore the rumors and tell the boy the truth" he said

"Spoken from a true guy" Jenny said

"No, spoken from someone who manages to avoid unwanted drama. Your creating more problems for yourself" Chuck replied unable to hide the fact that he was annoyed

"Are you upset with me or am I just annoying you?" Jenny asked picking up on his tone

"No, I'm just…I had a rough day and listening to all of this just makes…" Chuck said before Jenny quickly gathered her stuff "What are you doing?" he asked

"I'm leaving because clearly my problems are annoying to you, which is fine because I know you don't surround yourself with unnecessary drama but I have it, so if you don't want to be annoyed then stay away from me" Jenny told him

"Jenny please just sit down" Chuck said as he began to massage his head

"No" Jenny replied before she stormed off leaving him behind before she bumped in to Nate as he was walking into the library

"Oh, hey Jenny. I was actually looking for you, have you seen Blair by any chance?" Nate asked

"No. I don't know. I don't know about Eric, I don't know about anything…so stop asking" Jenny replied before she walked away leaving Nate confused

* * *

><p>Heading back down the hall with her case of Ensure's in hand that the nutritionist gave to her on top of her regular meals to help her gain weight, Blair cringed at the prospect of voluntarily gaining weight just to reach the norm, but she knew that if she was ever going lead a healthy lifestyle then she'd have to comply. She had hoped that once she saw the nutritionist that she would learn when she would be released because she figured most of the services they offered could be under outpatient for her, but the whole time she was with the nutritionist it mostly consisted of learning the proper nutrition for healthy and balanced diet. It was like being at school all over again in her mind, where she had to learn the remedial lessons that she should have learned ages ago in order to be healthy now. Entering into her room, she rolled her eyes at the sight of seeing Humphrey just sitting on the floor doing his homework. He was like a leech that she couldn't shake, she hadn't been home since Sunday night and he still managed to lurk where ever she was. Tossing her folder on to the desk so that her presence was known, Blair flopped on to the bed just wanting some bit of relief before she noticed a game console hooked up to her television. Immediately sitting up in the bed, she waited for Humphrey to turn around towards her but he just remained working on her homework before she finally grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.<p>

"Ouch!" Dan declared as he took the ear buds out of his ear

"What the hell is on my television?" Blair asked

"What does it look like?" Dan asked

"Uh, it looks like something that could get me in trouble. Take it off" Blair said

"You won't get in trouble" Dan said as he got up from the floor

"Says the guy who gets to leave this place. I mean it, I'm not getting in trouble because of you" Blair said

"You won't get in trouble because it's the security guards. Eric gave me a few hints of surviving this place, and I figured you'd need it since you were such a Debbie Downer earlier" Dan said

"I was not a Debbie Downer" Blair said

"Yes, you were. We have until two in the morning to get it back to….Seth" Dan said as he read the name Eric had wrote down for him "So that you will avoid getting into trouble" he then said

"So I'm suppose to play video games until two, I'm not that desperate" Blair replied

"Oh, but you are. Either enjoy the magic that is Wii or watch censored commercials that are meant to keep you emotionally balanced" Dan said as he teased her towards the end

"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be meeting Cici at this point?" Blair asked

"I should but I'm deciding to avoid that meet on account of the fact that I'm afraid of her, and because I'm trying to avoid Cotillion" Dan said

"So you forget the fact that Cotillion just might be important to your girlfriend?…" Blair said before Dan interrupted

"Do you want the company or not?" Dan interrupted her

"I thought I was going to play Wii? as in by myself" Blair asked "I swear its like you're a piece of gum that just keeps sticking on me where ever I go. I leave the penthouse and here you are over here, are you homeless or something?" she asked

"You until I count to three, then I'm gone. If you want the company, all you have to do is ask" Dan said as he reached to grab his bag before he slowly backed away. "One" he said beginning to count down as she just glared at him in disbelief that he was actually challenging him

"I'm not subjecting myself to your threats" Blair said as she folded her arms but slowly began to falter

"Two" Dan said as he extended his hand out to grab the door knob "Thr…" he said before she cut him off

"Fine. I want you to stay" Blair declared before he just flashed the biggest of smiles at her

"I knew you'd see things my way" Dan smiled as he walked over to grab a remote controller

"Yeah, well I have no other options because if I did…" Blair began to say before he cut her off

"You still would have picked me" Dan laughed "Face it, I'm your source of survival in this place" he said before he turned the console on while all she could do was roll her eyes in annoyance at his cockiness

**You may not believe in me**

**But I believe in you**

**So I still take the trash out**

**Does that make me too normal for you?**

She had originally thought the idea of playing a video game would be so boring, but it seemed to hold her attention more than she ever thought it would. Choosing the tennis game for their first round, Dan of course beat her for the first couple of rounds but as she started to get the hang of it the more she started to give him a run for his money. He wouldn't admit that he was becoming frustrated with her winning a few rounds here and there since he was so good, but she was enjoying victory and she was eager to beat him even more. Realizing that he had awaken a beast in her, he did his best to distract her by placing hands in front of her face but she was able to block his hands quick enough to get her back hand in on time. They had decided to go three more rounds and who ever won out that would be the winner overall, and as much as he tried, he just couldn't stop her. Jumping around in excitement, she was overjoyed that she beat him and made him eat her dust.

**So dig a little deeper, cause**

**You still don't get it yet**

**See me lickin' my lips, need a primitive fix**

**And I'll make, **

**I'll make you love me**

Poking her head out into the hallway, she looked around to see if anyone else was out and when she finally realized that everything was clear, she waved back towards Dan to come over. With her beige sheets in hand, he spread it out so that there was a clear space for her to sit. She had seen this on movies, but she had always swore to herself that she would never do something like this is what she always thought. Coming to enjoy the Wii rounds, she figured that she might actually enjoy this so called bed sheet sledding down the hallway. Folding it in so that he had a better grip on the sheets, he looked back to see if she was secure in the sheets and after a while of moving around to find the perfect spot. Bracing himself for the long run down the hallway, Dan checked back once more and ahead before he took off running down the hallway. Doing her best to remain quiet, she bit down on her bottom lip as she couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous Humphrey looked as he ran. She knew he played soccer, and going to sporting events were never her thing but to see how he was running now just made her entertain the thought of seeing him run like a chicken with head cut off. Looking back at the brunette bowled over in laughter, he dropped to the floor as he crawled over towards her to put his hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't make any loud noises. Hearing the jingling of keys come from down the hall, the two quickly crawled over towards a corner of the hallway so that they wouldn't be seen Unable to take the image of Humphrey running out of her head, she just couldn't stop laughing and seeing her laugh so much, he had to admit that it was funny to see as well.

**I am extraordinary,**

** if you'd ever get to know me**

**I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary**

**Average every day sane psycho**

**Supergoddess**

**Average every day sane psycho**

**Supergoddess**

Pulling out the stack of cards, Dan put them down on the bed before he looked up to see Blair with her finger up to her nose. The cards spilled out on to the bed and she swore each and every card carried an unlikely odor to them. Giving her look that said that she was over reacting, she gave him a quick glare before she finally just sucked it up and touched the cards. Grabbing the cards that were closest to her, Blair handed over the cards so that he could shuffle them. Explaining the rules of the game to her, she just basically heard yada yada yada in a sea of words that he overflowed her with. For a while it seemed like he was having more fun at this game, which she was sure he was cheating at but in those moments she was actually having fun and not worrying about getting better or if she could get better. In those moments she was doing something that she hadn't done in a long time, she was just genuinely having a good time and enjoying the simple things that she would have never done on her own. Though she would never tell Dan that because she knew if she did then she wouldn't hear the last of it.

"So what's the real reason you're here? I mean I'd like to think its because I'm the life of the party, but we both know my party scene has been put on pause for a while" Blair asked him as he shuffled the cards

"Your mom wanted me to check in on you" Dan said "I'm doing my job" he told her as she just laughed

"You're a horrible liar, and yet you keep trying to lie. Why don't you just admit why your really here?" Blair asked

"You know I don't actually dislike you, like you dislike me. I may actually be here not only for my job but because I'm checking on you" Dan said

"I don't need you to check on me. I don't need the over protectiveness, I can take care of myself and I wish people could see that" Blair said

"I never said that you couldn't" Dan laughed

"So is it your mom still? That's the only thing that makes sense why you just never seem to go home" Blair said as a moment of silence came between them "You know I'm just going to keep bugging you, so you might as well reveal" she said

"Yes, its still the mom thing. Jenny is pissed at me for sending away our mother, my dad is caught in the middle and is torn up over the fact of if he should divorce or hold onto hope" Dan told her

"I'd go with the divorce route" Blair replied as Dan just looked at her as if this wasn't the time to joke "Well, it just seems like your mom is still being selfish. I don't understand why you just don't tell Jenny the truth. She's a big girl, she can handle it" she reasoned

"Because in Jen's mind, our mother is the missing piece to this happy family that we're supposed to be. So now I'm the official bad guy, who tore this family apart, when in reality it was my mother and her affair that did this. I just feel like the more I keep this secret, the more I hate her" Dan sighed

"Hence the selfishness of your mother" Blair replied "You've clearly got this knack for wanting to be the man of the family, but with that comes the toll of being the man. Why don't you stop trying to grow up sooner than you should, and let your dad man the household" she said

"I should ,but we all look after each other. We've managed to make it work and then she just came back and ruined that" Dan said

"She can't ruin what you don't allow her to ruin. Stop avoiding your house and Jenny. See, I solved your problems easy…so consider the whole saving my life thing repaid" Blair smiled

"That really haunts you that you may actually owe me seeing as I saved your life" Dan laughed

"It doesn't haunt me, it disgusts me" Blair replied

"Sorry about Cotillion by the way" Dan told her as he distributed the cards

"What's there to be sorry about? The event I dreamed about has officially been dashed, and I will be spending my Cotillion in a room at the Ostroff Center" Blair sighed

"Dreamed about? Isn't that a bit much" Dan asked

"No, I actually did dream about this or at least took the stories my parents told me about their Cotillions as my own" Blair said "My mom and my dad met at her Cotillion. She was originally supposed to go with another guy, but my dad managed to steal her away on Cotillion night" she told him

"How'd he steal her away, I thought the couples were paired off so that they are introduced together" Dan asked

"Yes, and that's where he stole her. My mom was up next to be announced, but she had no idea that her original date was locked in a closet by one of my dad's friends. So he wore a black mask, and when her name was called along with her date, she stood there a nervous wreck thinking this was the worst thing to happen and then my dad stepped in. They say that was the most memorable moment of Cotillion" Blair said "I guess half of me expected Nate to step in with his black mask, but that relationship has gone completely down the river" she siad

"You still miss him?" Dan asked a little confused that Nate's name was even coming up

"He was my first love, that's not something you just forget about…especially around a time where you think that you were going to be with this person" Blair said "Nothing has gone as planned, and I guess I just want something to be a fairytale. I want to be the Cinderella for once" she said with a smile slowly coming to her face as she thought of those memories that she once had of her Cotillion, but as it came slowly, it slowly faded once she realized that once again she got the short end of the stick "And Serena? Are you going to put in the effort?" she asked

"With what?" Dan asked

"Aw, Humphrey. Your so clueless when it comes to girls" Blair sighed

"How? You asked and Serena, and I'm wondering what you mean" Dan laughed

"Go to Cotillion. Meet Cici….do it for her" Blair told him

"I thought I didn't belong according to you?" Dan asked

"In my mind you don't belong, but then again you don't belong at a grocery store….but I have a feeling she wants you there. Serena hasn't been serious about anyone like this in her whole entire existence as a blonde, so if she wants you to be on her arm then I suggest you be on both of them" Blair said

"And what about you?" Dan asked "I really feel like I don't belong if your not even going" he said

"Regardless, just go. In some odd way I understand what my mother is trying to do, so I accept it with gritted teeth" Blair said as a moment of silence came between them before she leaned towards him to grab a stray eyelash off of his face. Feeling like a surge of electricity had sprouted through his body. "Now you can make a wish" she said as she held the eyelash in front of him as all he could do was look at her strangely as if that surge of electricity had to come from something else other than her. For a moment he thought to himself as he truly accessed what he should wish for before he leaned forward to blow away the eyelash.

* * *

><p>After her lack of conversation from Chuck, Jenny felt the need to just get away from school and home all in general. The plan was good in her head but she knew she had far too much to complete for both Blair and Katy to just up and leave like nothing. For a while she felt as if she was finally on a groove, where she was being productive and could take her mind off of everything that was on her mind. She was handling all things Cotillion from picking up dresses, make up, and lingerie because apparently the after parties were going to be insane. This year The Palace was hosting the event, and while she just seemed to walk around aimlessly helping out, she never truly stopped to take in the beauty of the event. It felt like it was a scene straight out of a fairytale, which is something that she was getting used to being in this excess of a world. It truly felt like royalty was due to come just by the dining set up, and with the gowns she had all ready seen…she knew that this was going to be nothing short of a Cinderella event. Just as she got caught up in the moment of it all, Eric hesitantly made his way over towards her as he noticed her standing there.<p>

"You must be thinking how can they manage to afford all this crap" Eric said as he walked up from behind her

"I think I know how you can afford this, I just wonder do you guys ever get tired of this stuff" Jenny said

"No" Eric smiled "I don't think we ever do" he said

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd run from a scene like this" Jenny asked him

"My grandmother is over seeing all this fine set up to make sure it meets her standards. I'm sure you'll see an ice cold elderly woman walking around soon" Eric said

"Is she really that bad?" Jenny asked

"Uh, I want to lie and say no because she's my grandmother, but yes. She is that bad" Eric said

"Well then I think I would like to avoid meeting her then" Jenny said

"That might be best" Eric said "Look, I know that we both have been avoiding a certain issue or topic, and I think as soon as I came back from Thanksgiving I imagined a different outcome, but I guess I've got to come to the reality of this situation" he told her

"And what is this reality?" Jenny asked becoming intrigued

"The reality is that your not ready. Your not ready to like me and I'm not sure I'm ready to wait for you. So this is our reality, this is where we're at" Eric said as tears welled up in Jenny's eyes

"I don't want you to be mad at me" Jenny said

"I'm not mad. I'm disappointed but not for the reasons you think, I'm just disappointed that you can't see that on your own your better than all of this glitz and glamour" Eric said

"But I don't know how I feel…I've just been dealing with so much, so I can't say for sure if I do or I don't" Jenny quickly reasoned

"And that's all the more reason as to why your not ready. I get that your going through a lot, and that's why I'm not going to pout and be upset like I usually would. I like you, you know this but I can't wait around for you to figure it out" Eric said "That'd be unfair for me, and to you" he said

"What does this mean as us as friends?" Jenny asked

"It may take a while for me to be around you, but I know that we'll be fine. I think that we'll be fine, but I just need you to give me some time" Eric said before he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek

* * *

><p>It had been a waning thought on his mind the whole night, and with Cotillion being this very next day. For the first time he started to see this through the perspective through the eyes other than himself. He had wanted to stop with his defenses when it came to the constant question if he fit in or not, but instead he just wanted to push all that to the side. After a lesson filled conversation with his dad, when he had come in from the institution it started to really kick in that sometimes when you do something its not for you but for the other person in order to make them happy. Coming to the conclusion of what he needed to do, he wasted no time in calling in a few extra favors in order to get the task completed. Staying true to his mission of doing things for other people, in an attempt to make an effort with Serena, he had popped by for an early morning to meet Cici. Serena beamed from ear to ear to see him, and although Cici seemed to be elsewhere in though, Serena all in all was just happy that he put in the effort to do so, which made Serena all the more eager to help him out with his final task.<p>

"So explain this to me one more time? as I'm clearly not understanding the trauma your trying to put me in" Carter asked

"You heard me the first time" Dan said

"Yes, but that is not worth it. Sorry for the inconvenience of your situation Waldorf, but I have my pride" Carter turned to tell Blair

"That'd be low even for your standards" Blair told Carter sarcastically

"B, this is what you dreamed of, this is Cotillion" Serena told her

"Yeah, I'm aware of what I dreamed of but there's too many factors that could go wrong in this. I have no dress" Blair said

"Taken care of" Dan replied "The final touches on your dress have been sent to the penthouse, I can have Henry drop it off" he said

"Hair and makeup" Blair said

"Got it covered" Serena quickly replied

"Chutney Aarons" Blair stated "She's the featured debutant now" she said

"If Carter will suck it up then he'll have that covered" Dan said looking over at Carter

"That's a huge, huge if and your not fairing well in that section" Carter said

"Look, we don't have much time with all the prep that you guys put into doing all that whatever you do" Dan said "If you want your dream still then I can give that to you, but you just have to let me know what you want" he said looking Blair straight in the eyes. Noticing the look that Dan had been giving her, Carter couldn't help but look closely at the two as if something odd came from just their look at each other. Looking over at Serena, who just seemed to think nothing of it, Carter found himself trying to piece together the oddity of this situation

"And my mom? you do know that she will be there" Blair asked

"Eleanor will be running around like a chicken with her head cut off, everything is covered B" Serena told her

"And my date? Who's going to escort me?" Blair asked

"Well, you see that's the tricky thing that we haven't quite…" Dan stumbled for words as Serena received a text message that seemed to come just at the nick of time

"Nate. Nate is going to escort you" Serena told her as Blair couldn't help but smile at how things were just coming together "So now will you get off your butt and get ready?" she asked

"Wait, I thought he was going with someone else?" Blair asked

"He's sort of been asking about you a lot lately, when told me about his plan to spring you out for the evening then I thought who better to make this night perfect for you than Nate" Serena said

"He's been asking for me?" Blair asked a little surprised

"Yeah, he's been asking?" Dan then asked "I mean with how they ended things, do you think they should really go together?" he then asked

"Yeah, we ended badly" Blair agreed "Maybe it will be awkward, seeing as we used to be…and now we're…" she said before Dan interrupted

"Barely even speaking. I mean lets not forget the fact that he hasn't really been around for you" Dan said

"In not so much unsettling terms, I do agree with that statement" Blair said finding Dan's terms a bit harsh as all she could do was look at him strangely

"It's Nate though. Nate Archibald and Blair Waldorf, that's how it was always suppose to be since we were little kids" Serena told her as Blair seemed to process what those two names use to mean to her

"Do I really have to do the assigned task? I mean isn't there any other way I could contribute?" Carter asked as he continued to think on about what he had to do

"Yes" Dan, Blair, and Serena quickly told him before a moment of silence came

"You shouldn't do anything that will upset you" Dan told her

"Shut up Humphrey" Blair quickly replied as she just smiled at Serena unable to hide her happiness "I guess this is all working out" Blair smiled happily as Dan couldn't help but feel a bit strange that since Nate's name came into the equation that she all of sudden felt like things were coming together "Okay, I'll go" she said before she jumped off her bed and made her way into the restroom with Serena close behind. Getting up from his seat, Carter reached over to pick up Serena's cell phone as both Dan and him looked on at the device

"Thank God for Nate. I mean he's ditching his date to take his longtime girlfriend to Cotillion, that sounds like a storybook romance" Carter said as he looked on Dan strangely

"I guess it all came together" Dan sighed

"Yeah, its all coming together…besides my own section of the plan…but its starting to come together" Carter said "Oh, well I do believe this is your girlfriends phone. I don't want her to think I'm messing with it" he said handing the phone over to Dan

"Yeah" Dan said as he took the phone and just continued to look at it

"Well if your going to look Cotillion ready then I guess you should come with me" Carter said as he made his way over towards the door

"I'll be there in a second" Dan told him before Carter stepped out of the room but just enough so that he could look back at his friend. Opening up her cell phone, Dan thought for a moment before he went into her texts with Nate. Looking on at his friend, Carter knew that by that action he began to see just why exactly Dan seemed to have lax a daisy attitude when it came to being with Serena. Slowly backing away so that he was standing by the elevator as if he had been waiting there all along, Dan soon came out and joined Carter.

* * *

><p><strong>You are the girl that I've been dreaming of<strong>

**Ever since I was a little girl**

**You are the girl that I've been dreaming of**

**Ever since I was a little girl**

With hair spray going everywhere, both Serena and Blair laughed as they were truly enjoying getting ready for the event they had dreamed about since they were little girls. Although Blair never envisioned herself being in an institution for her eating disorder around this time, she couldn't help but feel more thrilled since she was in fact sneaking out. Applying their lipstick, they leaned forward to kiss the mirror to get the eye approval before they finally came to conclusion that the shade was perfect. Noticing a roaming shadow out in the halls, the girls quickly ran over to the bed while Blair got under the covers and Serena ducked down on the floor. The hallway guard looked in on Blair pretending to be asleep, before she finally kept on walking. Realizing that she had left, Blair and Serena quickly hopped from their spots to run over to grab their coats.

**One!I'm biting my tongue**

**Two!He's kissing on you**

**Three!Oh, why can't you see?**

**One! Two! Three! Four!**

Putting on his tank top over his chiseled chest, Dan had definitely grew to like what playing sports was doing to his body. Putting on his dress shirt, Carter looked over at with a cocky smile plastered on his face as going to Cotillion seemed a bit bearable now that his friend was going along with him. Never did he think that he'd be going to Cotillion on top of springing Blair Waldorf out of the Ostroff Center all in one night, but he had come to just accept the craziness that came along with being in the Upper Eastside. Adjusting his tie to his liking, Carter gave himself the seal of approval just as he looked over to see Dan putting on his tie as well. Finally ready for the evening, the two did their goofy handshake that they had manage to come up with while at practice one day before they headed out looking as if they were fresh out of a GQ magazine.

**Word's on the streets and it's on the news**

**:I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you**

**He's got two left feet and he bites my moves**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!**

**The second I do, I know we're gonna be through**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you**

**He don't suspect a thing, I wish he'd get a clue**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!**

"I'm going to do it! I'm actually going to do it this time!" Eric screamed as he rushed off the elevator towards the receptionist desk at the Center

"Eric? What are you doing here?" The receptionist asked

"I'm going to do it, I feel it this time" Eric said as he began to cry "I mean I asked him politely and they still….they still denied me. I mean why is it that the world is turning against me!" he questioned leaving the woman in confusion

"Who denied you?" The receptionist asked

"Uh…uh…McDonalds. They ran out of the chicken stuff and told me I could have any" Eric said completely lying his butt off at this point

"Okay, well I can understand how that can be a challenge" The receptionist said a bit confused as to why Eric would get all worked up over that "What have you tried to do?" the receptionist asked

"The same, the pills" Eric replied

"Which ones?" The receptionist asked as she grabbed her notepad to write the notes down. Looking over at Blair's room, to see both Blair and Serena crouched down on the floor waiting for his signal to go

"Okay, I have a problem. I have a big problem! It starts with a capital RX" Eric said as he ran his hand through his hair as he just tried to think

"What drugs have you been taking?" The receptionist asked as she did her best to remain patient

"Caffiene, Nicotine….. Cadimine, Disprine, LSD, Driazapam, Flurazepam" Eric listed as she wrote it down "All the pams really, I don't discriminate" he told her as she continued to write. Taking his hand, he quickly signaled the girls to move now and within instant they scurried across the floor over towards the elevator

"Apparently not" The receptionist replied before Eric started screaming on the top of his lungs as if he had gotten a sharp pain, but was loud enough so that the receptionist couldn't hear the elevator door signal so the girls could board

**You are the girl that I've been dreaming of**

**Ever since I was a little girl**

**You are the girl that I've been dreaming of**

**Ever since, ever since**

Their tongues dueled for control as they went back and forth the whole way up the staircase. Her hands ran wild through his hair as she had dreamed of this moment since she was a little girl, and now to have it with the very boy she longed for just seemed overwhelming for her. Pulling him in closer towards her, she deepened the kiss and for a split second could feel him finally give in to her. With his eyes open, he looked down at his watch to realize that he hadn't as much time as he suspected that it would originally take, so in an effort to speed things up he quickly turned around so that her back was pressed up against his body. Feeling the intensity of passion coursing through her veins, she could only hope that he would be this demanding in between the sheets as the anticipation was growing and growing for her by the minute. Kissing her neck, he used his free hand to open the door before leading her inside of the hotel room. Quickly turning her towards him, she made them fall back on to the bed as her hands ran freely and touched places that a young woman wouldn't dare touch in public, but only behind closed doors. Pinning her hands back on the bed, he feverishly attacked her lips as he made the trail all the way down to her plump breasts. Caressing his chest, her hands made their way down to his privates before she got in a good squeeze that caused him to pull away.

"Too much?" Chutney asked

"Yes, too much" Carter replied

**One!I'm biting my tongue**

**Two!He's kissing on you**

**Three!Oh, why can't you see?**

**One! Two! Three! Four!**

Putting on her dress, she couldn't help but feel like a princess at how pretty she looked. She knew that she hadn't usually thought that about herself but she had made an effort to find something that she liked about herself in this moment, and she chose the fact that her smile seemed to be the eye catcher for her. It'd take a while before she could find other things that she loved about herself, but she was looking at an image that she wasn't willing to hurt anymore, and that was herself. Turning away from the mirror, Blair came out to join Serena as they prepared to leave with their limo waiting for them downstairs. Leaving the suite, the girls were then greeted by Cici, who seemed to have loving eyes for the both of them and just like that they were off to the Cotillion.

**Word's on the streets and it's on the news:**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you**

**He's got two left feet and he bites my moves**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!**

**The second I do, I know we're gonna be through**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you**

**He don't suspect a thing, I wish he'd get a clue**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!**

"My rubber is like my binky I guess" Carter said as he once again looked down at the time "Here, I have a suggestion" he brought up

"Suggestions are good because I don't have all night, I have to be back downstairs before they do the announcements and since I'm the featured debutant, it'll look bad if I'm not there on time" The girl said "So do whatever you have to do because your officially on the clock" she said before she squeezed his butt cheeks

"Oh, wow! Your really frisky" Carter laughed feeling like he was being man handled "Okay, well I'm going to get a rubber from my trusty friend and then when I get back…" he said before she interrupted

"I'm going to rock your world" The girl smiled feeling confident in her ability

"I bet you will" Carter smiled as he slowly backed away "So you just stay all frisky and I'll be back with my rubber ball…I mean the rubber" he said before he finally made his way out of the room. Resting up against the closed door, Carter let out a sigh of relief as he was able to escape the clutches of the horny female admirer. Looking down at his watch once more, he was glad to see that he managed to get out of there at the nick of time. Pulling his cell phone out, he quickly went to his calling circle to make a phone call. "Okay, we're set" he said before he ended the call. Looking around to make sure that there were no witnesses, he turned back to the door to lock it before fixing himself up before he made his way back downstairs towards the party.

**One!You're biting my tongue**

**Two!I'm kissing on you**

**Three!Is he better than me?**

**One! Two! Three! Four!**

Getting out of the limo, Blair looked on at everyone and how they looked in their dresses for a moment like she was entering back into a world that she used to rule. She had hoped that the evening would consist of no questions as to where she had been for the past couple days because she wasn't quite sure how she would handle those question. Just as she began to silently freak out, Serena grabbed on to her friends hand to show that she was right there beside her. Smiling at her friend, Blair took a deep breath as she was getting the strength that she needed in order to proceed with tonight's event. Ascending the staircase of the outside, they entered the building with all eyes on them but not in a bad way like Blair originally thought she was going to be met with. With a little bounce in her step as she knew all the other girls were in envy of her dress, she once again started to feel like the Queen that she was.

**Word's on the streets and it's on the news:**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you**

**He's got two left feet and he bites my moves**

**I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!**

Looking on at his phone, Dan's plan was going exactly how he intended it to go. He should have felt glad that things were going right, and that he actually put together something that successfully worked but a part of him just felt like one piece of the plan was not what he had intended. Earlier he thought back to his moment in which he could have spared her some pain, but he knew that it would have been his judgment about the Abercrombie and Fitch ex boyfriend that would have prevailed over what she truly wanted. He saw the happiness that she had in her face as once she learned that she was on his radar again, and even though he knew better than to give Nate a glimmer of a shot, he hadn't seen her look so happy like that in the past few days since she decided to come forward about her eating disorder. He had his shot, and in that moment like he was doing at this particular moment, he was letting her have her fairytale. Walking over towards Nate, Dan handed him a mask, which only put him in more confusion.

"What's this?" Nate asked

"Just wear it. Be a little late, but not too late because then she'll have a melt down and think the most horrible thing is going to happen to her" Dan told him just as Carter made his way over towards them looking a bit confused himself

"Oh, wow! We're actually going according to plan" Carter said

"Thanks Dan" Nate said as he took the mask while everyone began to line up for the announcements

"I think we should go" Carter said as Nate quickly ran off to his spot while Carter just stayed back in confusion "I thought everything was coming together" he said

"They are…for her" Dan said as Carter slowly backed away before he finally made his way over towards the line up. Glancing over towards the line up of what seemed to be the future rich and famous, Dan could see Serena waving and smiling at him from where she stood in the line up. Turning back so that she could pay attention to the upcoming stairs she had to go up, his eyes drifted on to the brunette that had seemed to be the permanent annoyance in his life. It was weird though because in this moment he didn't see her as someone annoying, but someone that actually looked…beautiful.

* * *

><p>Leaning up against the door after a close call with security, Blair did all she could to get her breathing under control after that dash she had to make from the elevator to her bedroom. Once her heart rate came to a normal pace, she couldn't help but smile at the events that had transpired that night. The dance, the party, Nate…well not so much Nate for her, but the fact that he did look his usual Abercrombie and Fitch helped in the fact that she was her usual self. If she had describe her Cotillion in one word than she would have summed it up as memorable. Throwing her clutch purse on to her bed as she undid her up do, she half expected Dan to come out of nowhere with food in hand to just hang around like a leech. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she literally just waited for him to show up and after what felt like minutes, she began to realize that he wasn't coming. Letting out a sigh of frustration over the fact that she was probably going to have another sleepless night, she quickly grabbed the remote to turn on the remote control. Flipping through the channels in search of something to keep her entertained so that she could doze off to sleep, but find the pointless emotionally balanced channels to be so boring. Laying back on the bed just trying to get relaxed, she couldn't help but feel like she was uneasy and that there was no way she could just drift off to sleep so willingly. Quickly turning off the television, she reached for her phone and immediately scrolled down to a name she'd never thought she'd call. Just as she hit the call button on Dan's name, she was soon caught off guard when she heard his ring tone from outside her door. Ending the call as she walked over to open the door, she looked on at him a bit skeptical.<p>

"I thought you'd be with Serena right now?" Blair asked

"And yet you still called me" Dan replied as a moment of silence came between them "I forgot my notebook" he said as she stepped aside so that he could go grab his notebook off of the desk

"Serena was really happy, you really made her night with Cici and all" Blair said

"Yeah, well sometimes you do things for other people just to make them happy" Dan said

"Did your opinion change about the feeble world of the Upper Eastside?" Blair asked with a slight laugh and for a split second he found himself getting caught up in her smile

"Uh…yeah, my opinion has changed on a few things. Not sure why, but its changed" Dan told her

"See, admitting I was right wasn't so wrong" Blair teased

"No, it wasn't" Dan laughed "Well I should get going" he said as he walked over towards the door

"I know it was you. With the whole mask thing, that was you" Blair said as she quickly turned around to stop him "Nate would never remember something like that, but you did. Why?" she asked as she walked over towards him at the doorway

"Because you wanted something to go right" Dan told her

"Why is it that every time I swear that you annoy me, you always manage to do something that makes you less annoying?" Blair asked with a slight laughter

"Maybe I'm not as bad as you think" Dan said

"No, your not as bad" Blair smiled

"Goodnight" Dan said

"Goodnight" Blair replied before he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Feeling a bit shocked by his gesture, but at the same time caught of guard by the spark she felt with his lips pressed up against her skin. Pulling away, they looked at each other for a moment before he finally turned to walk away. Leaning up against her the frame of her doorway, Blair looked on with a bit of happy confusion as she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the very boy that seemed to be put on this earth to annoy her

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics Used in this Chapter:**

**Jesse J- Who You Are**

**Liz Phair- Extraordinary**

**Black Kids- I'm Not Going to Teach Him How to Dance With You**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I swear their getting longer everytime I write them. All I have to say is the next chapter will be big for DAIR, that's all I'll leave you with.**


	11. Roman Holiday

**Author's Note: First of all, I would like to thank those who reviewed. Last chapter I received the most reviews ever for one chapter and thats out of four stories that I have on this board. I believe it was fifteen, so I was really happy to get the reviews and read the encouragement from you guys. Usually when I get ten reviews I put a story on priority as opposed to another because I try to go in order but when I reached ten in one day in a matter of like four hours, I was writing this chapter sooner than I thought. So thank you for that, I really appreciated that. I really hope you guys enjoy the chapter, I have to admit that I'm a Christmas fanatic so I got a little distracted when I was choosing songs to use because I was too busy singing along. It's taken me a while to admit that but I'm addicted to all things Christmas, so this chapter had to be my favorite and I had fun writing it. If you have any questions about upcoming storylines or current one's please feel free to ask so I can answer them because I can tell you that things will get interesting in the way I would have liked season one to go, but with my Dair twist because I do love them so much. So I hope you enjoy :)**

**Questions:**

**Are Chuck and Jenny going to happen? [I'm paraphrasing]: Chuck as you know is all bad news for Jenny, and plays a part in her downward spiral. But something big will happen towards the end of the season that will change everything.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven- Roman Holiday<strong>

Pulling out the drawer to his desk, he grabbed his special and custom made pens before grabbing his notepad to set on top of his desktop. Testing out each of the pens to see what pen had enough ink to last him, he quickly became satisfied with his selection before putting the others back in their holding cup. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he began to title his notes as organization was something that was key to his profession. Reaching over into his file cabinet, sifting through the numerous folders that he had within, he finally found the young woman's file before he rose from his seat. With her legs crossed and her phone glued to her hands, Blair took every little bit of time to make sure that she was still present in her social circle. Learning that Jenny Humphrey had lost her v-card had been of news to her, and the fact that something like that could happen all in an absence of two weeks, she was eager to assert herself back to Queen Bee. Though the constant questioning of how Jenny could lose her virginity before her did plague her throughout the morning, but talking virginity was an issue that she wanted to stay away from all together.

"When your ready" Dr. Han said as he looked on at the young woman texting away

"Just give me two more minutes. Samantha had the shock of her life at the Peek-a-Boo party when she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with her mother" Blair said not wanting to tear away from her phone

"Blair" Dr. Han said before she just kept her attention on her cell phone screen

"Just one more minute…I promise" Blair said before she glanced up to see that Dr. Han was not as easy a push over like she had hoped that he would be "Fine" she said as she reluctantly put her phone away in her purse before she folded her arms in her lap

"So, week one" Dr. Han said after a moment of silence came between them "How has it been outside of the Center? Have you come across any difficulties?" he asked

"Difficulties? I've been plagued with difficulties left and right this past week" Blair exclaimed as Dr. Han got ready to write down notes

"Okay, tell me about the difficulties that you have encountered?" Dr. Han asked

"For starters, Humphrey knows close to nothing when it comes to centering decoration or just decorating in general. I asked him to make sure the reef had a five inch drop from the banister, but Danny from the block decides to do four inches opposed to my perfectly measured five. Sometimes I truly question if he's smart or is he using affirmative action to bully his way into St. Judes. Dorota keeps whining about being alone for the holidays, which is insane because she has to serve dinner, so technically she's not alone when she has a tong in one hand and a serving spoon in the other. Then daddy is coming into town with his lover, so I've been putting in long hours trying to prepare my mother for that reality slap she's about to get…" Blair babbled on before Dr. Han finally grew tired of her versions of difficulty

"I meant when it came to your disorder Blair" Dr. Han said sternly

"Oh. Well, I'm doing well" Blair said giving a forced smile

"Your doing well?" Dr. Han questioned as he looked at her quizzically

"Yes, that's what I said" Blair replied

"Did you do your assigned task that we discussed the last time?" Dr. Han asked

"About that, I really didn't feel comfortable with that specific assignment, seeing as you're a guy and I'm a girl. I really felt as if you may have teetered on creepy line" Blair replied

"I'm more than qualified in my profession Ms. Waldorf" Dr. Han replied

"I don't doubt that, but you have to admit that it was a bit odd" Blair said

"Do you always do that?" Dr. Han quickly asked her

"Do what?" Blair asked

"The avoidance. You see, I've asked you two questions in which you answer in a form that is easy for you to either avoid or babble on about other subjects that don't pertain to the subject" Dr. Han said

"That's not avoidance" Blair replied realizing that she was once again avoiding the question "I answered the question to the best of my abilities. I just thought that this was a place to be honest and open" she reasoned

"Which it is, but you have yet to do those two things" Dr. Han said

"For good reason. I mean Rome wasn't built in one day, everyone just expects me to be so broken and shattered about this" Blair said

"And what are you?" Dr. Han asked

"I'm processing. I've accepted that it's a bad habit, and that I should eat better…hell I should just eat, but everything else that you want me to do is a bit much and dramatic" Blair said

"You don't think you should take this seriously? I mean you went into cardiac arrest, which can be caused by your eating disorder especially for the length of time you've had the disorder" Dr. Han questioned

"I do take this seriously…look, your trying to go all psychoanalysis on me but I know what I'm trying to say here. I don't need to remind myself every minute of the day that I'm a walking disorder" Blair said

"No, your not a walking disorder. But the only way we can get past this dramatic phase of treatment is if you start opening up, get to point in your life where you opted to stick a finger down your throat" Dr. Han said

"Well I've stated my reasons" Blair sighed

"And now its time for you to take responsibility for your actions. I've heard the cause, but when will you start to realize that you can't push this off on your parents or your best friend. The only way you'll get better, is if you allow yourself to get better" Dr. Han said as a moment of silence came between them

"Wow! That was classic" Blair replied "I mean you almost made me want to get up and fight for my country or something" she said

"Your making this more difficult than need be" Dr. Han sighed

"I'm being honest" Blair replied "I'm sorry if I'm not completely mortified with myself to the point where I reveal every tragedy in my life. I have a good life, I have a great life and I had a problem, a problem that did almost kill me, but I'm aware and I know better" she said

"No, I really don't think you do" Dr. Han said as he tossed his notepad on to his desk

"What is that supposed to mean?" Blair asked

"It means that your not taking this seriously, and if your not taking this seriously then I'm afraid that I'll have to write up that you're not ready to be out yet" Dr. Han said

"You can't do that" Blair replied "I give you an honest answer and I get punished?" she said in disbelief

"No, you get treatment. Part of dealing with a problem is owning that you have one. Taking responsibility and correcting it, but you just seem to want to gloss over the issues like a bad CW show" Dr. Han said

"Okay, so I'll be open. I'll tell you all that you need" Blair said

"Not today. I want you to go home and do what I told you, then next time when I ask you about it then you'll be able to discuss it" Dr. Han said "That's the only way you'll be able to convince me" he said

"And what if that's a train of thought I'll never be able to have….you know, how you want me to start thinking?" Blair asked in a moment of vulnerability

"You'll never know unless you try Blair. There is something beautiful about each and every person, you just need to find what makes you beautiful" Dr. Han told her "So same time next week. I want you to come back with….progress" he told her

* * *

><p>Putting his books away in his locker, Dan eagerly looked on at his watch before grabbing his papers on his way to the school's cashier office. Entering the office he signed in for his appointment time and then took his seat in the waiting room, observing the office he wondered was there anything less ordinary in this school because it felt like to him that everything was so grand in this school. There was no question that while he waited he wondered that if he had a well known last name other than Humphrey, if he would have been escorted right in besides the twenty minutes he currently had to wait. Grabbing a magazine from the pile on the table, he flipped through not intending to read but to just keep himself entertained. Just as he sunk deeper in his seat, his counselor came out to bring him back to his office. Taking his seat in the chair, Dan immediately began to sort through his paperwork so that he could show that he was more than prepared for this meeting.<p>

"So I've been looking over your files, and you've done really good here Daniel" His counselor said "Your in the top five between Constance and St. Jude's, so your in the running for gaining that top spot" he told him

"Is it enough to merit the appeal though?" Dan asked

"That's the tricky part about the job. I mean I've lobbied for you and have showed that you are amongst our brightest, but with the economy being the way it is, the board is not in the position to appeal the rising tuition for you" His counselor said

"But I thought my records were good, and could prove my case?" Dan question

"They do, but they're not in the position to do so right now" His counselor told him "I have come up with some alternative plans for you to take that could hopefully prevent the worst scenario" he then said

"Like?" Dan asked

"After the school year, we can put you on a payment plan that way you could pay the difference…" His counselor said

"The amount of money that my family makes it would only put me ahead by three months….so I'll be back in this situation come October" Dan replied

"Well maybe you could pick up an after school job to help…" His counselor suggested

"I all ready have a after school job, that goes to helping my dad pay the rent then rest into savings" Dan said as a moment of silence came between them

"You work for….Eleanor Waldorf. Is there anyway you could request for a raise or something?" His Counselor asked

"Eleanor is a business woman, she has a lot to do but me requesting for more is something I think someone with seniority would do" Dan said

"But if you explain that this is towards school" His Counselor suggested

"I'm not really interested in trying to come across as a charity case" Dan sighed

"Well you have to do something. Dan its okay to ask for help, when you need it. There is nothing wrong in doing so" His Counselor said "I have loans on top of loans, with an added loan from various people in my family" he told him

"Your lucky, and I mean that in a sincere tone as opposed to a sarcastic one. I don't have the resources, so if it gets done then it has to go through me" Dan replied

"I really wish that there was something I could do" His counselor sighed

"If I decide to go on the payment plan now, could I pay at the rate now then get the increase when the time comes?" Dan asked

"That we could work out" His counselor said "Look, I respect your want to remain at St. Jude's and I would like very much to keep you here because you have so much potential" he praised

"It wouldn't be for me" Dan replied "I want to pay for my sisters tuition" he told him

"Jenny?" The counselor asked "Constance doesn't have the same rates as we do…" he said before Dan interrupted

"Which would give her more time than me" Dan concluded

"Are you sure? I mean I respect that…" His counselor said before he interrupted

"My sister loves Constance, and frankly I think she'll benefit from going to a school like that. I like to believe that I'm a smart guy and could pick up from anywhere….so I want to use my savings to go towards her tuition" Dan said as His Counselor just studied him to make sure that he was positive about this

"Okay. I'll get the paperwork started" His Counselor said as Dan reached in his bag and pulled out a white envelope to put on the desk

"There is four thousand dollars in there, so I guess all I need to know is what is the monthly payments after that" Dan told his counselor

* * *

><p>Hearing the sound of the ringing bell, the staff immediately dropped what they were currently doing to rush into the living room area of the house. With chairs all ready line up to look like they were sitting in a row, Blair stood in the front with her clipboard in hand as she watched the staff scurry out to take their seats. Observing the final and the slowest employee that ran out, Blair shook her head at Dorota in shame that she had managed to be the last one and was so slow when it came to running. Taking her seat, Dorota immediately began to fan herself in hopes that her heart rate would come down to a normal pace than what it was originally at in the moment. Looking on at the talking points that she wanted to cover with the staff with the upcoming Christmas holidays swiftly approaching, Blair knew that she had her work cut out for her if she was going to whip them in to shape in time for her father's visit. It was no surprise in the house that she was a big Christmas fanatic, but with her getting out early for good progress, she was more than happy to celebrate the holidays than deal with her known issues.<p>

"Where is Humphrey?" Blair asked as she glanced up to see the empty seat in the row before a hand quickly darted up "You may speak" she recognized Frankie, the cook, to speak before he quickly rose to his feet as if he was standing at attention

"Mr. Humphrey is still at school, and will be arriving shortly" Frankie reported before taking his seat

"How is he still at school? There is no soccer today and lets face it, he's not as smart as people make him out to be" Blair questioned before Frankie once again rose his hand before rising to his feet

"He mentioned yesterday that he might be late Ms. Waldorf" Frankie said before he sat back down

"Fair enough, but don't let this be a trend for either of you…being late means you show no concern, being on time means you want your check" Blair threatened in hopes that it would sound threatening but she soon realized that it wasn't "So as you know, we are vastly approaching Christmas and along with that we have daddy's arrival" she told them before another hand quickly shot up "What?" she asked before Greta, the pastry chef, rose to her feet with a piece of paper in hand

"I would just like to say that welcome home Ms. Waldorf, this penthouse was so much better without….I mean was not the same without you…not the same, as in horrible" Greta said doing her best to recover while Dorota laughed at her attempts to kiss up

"You may sit" Blair told her "Is this funny? Because I get the feeling that there was some sort of free for all while I was away…like there was some big party in my absence" Blair questioned

"There may have been one teensy little party" Rizo, the dining coordinator, admitted as they all shook their head in agreement

"We listened to lots of Kesha…uh, we liked the saying…"Greta said as she looked over towards Dorota for help

"Go, go, go, go insane…" Dorota said with her heavy Russian accent as Blair looked on in disbelief at them, feeling like she was at some awkward United Nations convention

"Go insane. Throw some glitter. Make it rain on him…" They all began to sing with a blended voice of accents

"Let me see them Hanes" Dorota sang as she began to clap as Rizo rose from his seat and began to smack his butt "Let me see them Hanes" she smiled as he extended her hand out to smack Rizo's butt, which was all Blair needed to be horrified by the display

"Okay, enough!" Blair yelled getting their attention as they quickly took their seats

"We're so sorry Ms. Blair, we get caught up in the music that is Kesha" Dorota tried to explain before Blair put her hand up to silence her

"This display is horrifying and you all should be ashamed of yourself" Blair told them "Now if the freak display is over, can we please get back to the matter at hand and that is making this the loving home for my father for the holidays" she said "We need to in a matter of hours, need to turn this house into a gay friendly area" she then declared

"How will we do that?" Greta asked

"I don't know, think of things that are gay but friendly. We need a sense of San Francisco to fill this room. Let my father know that we welcome his sexual preferences" Blair told them

"We could play lots of Elton John" Dorota suggested as they all shook their heads in agreement

"Or Lady Gaga" Rizo quickly replied

"Yes, something that evokes the spirit of your home, daddy" Blair said just as the elevator doors open and in a quick pace, Dan came walking out to be caught off guard by the meeting

"What in the hell…" Dan said just as Blair turned to look at him

"So glad that you have taken time from your busy schedule to join us Humphrey" Blair said sarcastically to him

"I all ready mentioned that I would be late" Dan said before he took his seat next to Dorota

"I just figured that since you come and go as you please" Blair told him

"I had good reasoning, so can we just drop it" Dan told her

"Drop it? I'll drop it when my mother isn't paying for your services. Never mind the fact that the staff is acting like American Idol rejects" Blair said

"Okay, well that's not my problem" Dan said as he looked at them all strangely

"It was the Kesha" Rizo leaned forward to tell Dan

"It was the stupidity!" Blair yelled in annoyance "Do you not understand the importance of this week for me. We are one day away from Christmas eve, and daddy is coming in…" she said before Dan interrupted

"In one day…yes, I'm well aware of the importance" Dan replied

"Are you mocking me?" Blair asked noticing the tone in his voice

"No, I just think your blowing this out of proportion. Your dad is coming into, and that's great, but its just the holidays…he'll be excited just to get a hug, not goody bags from Godiva" Dan said

"I'm sorry that it doesn't meet you low class standards, but I would like to make his homecoming special" Blair said

"Then let him come home, don't throw a freakin parade for a place he's spent most of life in" Dan replied as Blair just glared at him with the silence of the room becoming apparent to Dan "You know what, I'll go. I'm sorry that I'm not hyping up the Godiva goodie baskets, but I have to go" he said getting up from his seat to put his things together as he headed over to the elevator

"Don't think your getting paid for this outburst. Bah humbug, jackass!" Blair turned to yell and like that he was gone. Turning his attention back to her staff "Let that be a lesson to you" she then told them before Dorota quickly rose her had "What is it now?" she asked becoming annoyed with the events

"I know why Mr. Daniel was upset" Dorota said as she rose to her feet

"I don't care why he's upset" Blair replied "Sit!" she then said as Dorota sat but once again rose her hand "Okay, the next person to raise their hand…they will get their hand cut off" she said

"Mr. Daniel had real good excuse" Dorota exclaimed

"I don't care?" Blair declared

"But its something that might get him kicked out of school" Dorota said

"Okay, you may speak" Blair said as those words quickly got her attention

"Mr. Humphrey can't afford the tuition increase, so he appealed and he must've got denied" Dorota said before she sat back down

"Why are you sitting?" Blair asked as Dorota was in confused on whether to sit or stand "This all happened today?" she asked

"Do I sit or stand?" Dorota asked confused

"Stand" Blair told her

"Yes" Dorota answered before she took her seat

"Interesting" Blair said as a thought came to her, which made a few of the staff members becoming worried

"I don't like that look on her face" Dorota whispered to Greta as they both looked on at the girl

"Dr. Han says that I need to make progress, clearly if I help the less fortunate, example Humphrey, then that'll be progress from my earlier dislike to present semi-dislike" Blair said to herself

"But what does this have to do with you?" Rizo asked

"Uh, speaking out of turn" Blair replied "But this has to do with my overall progress. Two words to remember this upcoming holiday season, progress and gay friendly" she instructed to them "As my progress as a person, I will help Dan Humphrey remain at St. Jude's" she declared

* * *

><p>Dragging the brown box down the hallway, Rufus was glad to finally see hope at the end of the hallway, when he saw that he was a mere foot away from his loft. Giving the box one big tug, he fell back on to the floor but was elated to realize that he was now in his own home as opposed to the building storage room. Hearing a loud thump sound come from within the living room, Jenny poked her head out to see her dad laid out on the floor. Taking the ear buds out of her room as she walked over to see if everything was okay, she was soon assured of her fears when she saw him laughing at his momentary victory box. Going over towards the box to see what exactly he was wrestling with, she flipped open the lid to see that it was their Christmas decorations. Rolling her eyes at her dad's lame attempt to make the loft holiday ready, Jenny made her way over to the sofa. Sitting up on the floor, Rufus looked over at his daughter to realize that nothing about the spirit of Christmas had phased her yet and she was still upset with him. He had tried all that he could to make things right with his daughter, and even thought the holidays would bring them all closer together but he found that his attempts only made things worse.<p>

"F.Y.I. for you on when you want to visit the gallery, the locks have become a recent pain, so I'd advise you to put a wedge in the door so you won't get locked in" Rufus told her

"Why would I go to the gallery?" Jenny asked

"I don't know, maybe to see your mom's work…I know that you loved looking at her paintings, so I just wanted to forewarn you for those days you plan on sneaking away. Then with the added kitchen, that I have masterfully created….the Christmas aura shall and will be created in the gallery" Rufus smiled but was only met by his daughters scowl

"You still have mom's paintings up? I thought that'd be the first thing to go since you banned the physical aspect of her from our lives" Jenny replied sarcastically

"Do you not see what's in the box?" Rufus asked her just wanting to change the conversation "C'mon Jen, you gotta give me something here" he pleaded with his daughter

"I just don't see the purpose of you dragging out the Christmas decorations when Christmas is less than a day away. The holidays are basically over, and as per usual, we pretend like it doesn't exist" Jenny stated

"No, its not as per usual. We've all been busy with our daily routines, but we spend the holidays together as a family" Rufus said

"A family that doesn't include mom, you know, your wife" Jenny fired back

"Look, I get that your upset with how things went down but…" Rufus said before she interrupted

"I'm not upset…I'm furious with how you and Dan just think you can make decisions for me when it comes to her" Jenny said

"I have every right to make decisions for you because I'm your father" Rufus replied

"No, you do it because your afraid that I might not choose you. Your afraid that I might believe mom, and see that you're the reason why she left" Jenny said as Rufus quickly rose to his feet

"And how do you figure this?" Rufus asked

"Because your out there chasing pipe dreams, I mean granted, mom is chasing a dream with her painting, but at least she makes money for it. You with the whole Lincoln Hawk fantasy is just…you chasing your youth" Jenny said

"So you basically think if I made more then your mom would still be here?" Rufus asked

"No…I just think that if you would have realized how unhappy she was then we'd still be a family" Jenny said "You have no idea how hard it is to go to a school and deal with girls, who have the designers and have so much access…" she said before he laughed in disbelief at the things his daughter envied

"Yeah, and there the same kids who end up all screwed up" Rufus replied

"That's your opinion" Jenny said "You and Dan think that you can sit here in the loft judging people, but all you two do is talk about people you don't even know" she said

"And you know these people? You can advocate for them now?" Rufus asked

"I can say for a fact that they're not who you think they are" Jenny replied

"You know, I had my doubts about sending you to Constance but I'm beginning to see that I was right. Your becoming more and more like a spoiled brat" Rufus said

"Again, your perception. I tell you how I honestly feel about something and if it differs from your opinion than its automatically me being spoiled brat" Jenny replied

"What this is, is you being influenced because you would have never spoke to me like this" Rufus replied angrily

"And a few years ago, you would have never let mom walk away like that" Jenny told him before they heard a knock come from the door. Taking a moment to access the conversation or the argument he was having with his teenage daughter, Rufus sighed in frustration as he walked over to answer the door. Opening the door, to his surprise he saw Eleanor Waldorf standing on the other side. Automatically thinking that she all ready looked out of place in Brooklyn just by the way that she was dressed, Rufus was intrigued to know why she would come all the way to Brooklyn

"May I help you?" Rufus asked

"Are you Rufus Humphrey, Daniel's father?" Eleanor asked as Jenny leaned forward in her seat to listen in on the conversation

"Yeah, I'm Dan's father" Rufus said extending his hand towards her to shake "You must be Eleanor Waldorf" he said which nearly caused Jenny to fall off her seat

"Yes" Eleanor smiled

"What can I do for you?" Rufus asked

"Well, as you know, your son works for me. Dan has been a pleasure to have around the house and as an employee. He's come to fit in nicely in my family, and I was wondering with the holidays coming up, I was wondering if you and your family would like to join us for our annual dinner?" Eleanor asked as Rufus felt like the day was getting stranger and more mind blowing by the minute

"I didn't see this coming" Rufus laughed to himself "A dinner party?" he asked

"Well to us it's a dinner party, but its basically a family get together" Eleanor said "I'd be honored to have you as my guests, and like I said, Dan is practically like family" she said

"He's worked for you for about five months though" Rufus said

"And a lot has happened in those five months" Eleanor laughed

"I'm truly honored that you invited my family, but seeing as it is the holidays…my family and I have plans" Rufus said before Jenny quickly ran over to the door to step in between the two

"He was just kidding…my dad is such a joker" Jenny laughed as Eleanor looked on with confusion by her sudden appearance

"Uh, what are you doing?" Rufus asked his daughter

"I'm confirming our holiday plans. We would love to come over" Jenny told Eleanor

"Really?" Eleanor smiled happily "Well I do hope you will" she said

"Jen.." Rufus said before Jenny interrupted

"So when exactly is this dinner?" Jenny asked

"Uh, we usually celebrate Christmas Eve, so Christmas Eve" Eleanor told them

"Great, we will be there" Jenny smiled

"I look forward to seeing you all" Eleanor smiled before she turned to leave. Closing the door after looking on at Eleanor leave, Rufus looked over at his daughter in confusion

"I thought you were all anti-holidays?" Rufus asked her

"I was never anti-holidays" Jenny replied

"You basically told me in less than five minutes ago that you saw no point in celebrating when the holidays were over" Rufus said remembering what she had said not too long ago

"Little did I know that Eleanor Waldorf would come to our door to request our presence at her Christmas Eve party" Jenny smiled

"So now this is you happy?…I just need to know because this teenage angst is blowing my mind right now" Rufus told her

* * *

><p><strong>It's the greatest time of year, and it's here<strong>

**Help me celebrate it**

**With everybody here, friends so dear**

**Let me simply state it**

**Joy to the world and everyone**

**Lift up your hearts and feel the love**

**It's our favourite way, to spend the holiday**

**Yeah**

Though he had perfect reasoning behind his outburst, Dan knew that he was wrong for unleashing his anger over his crappy day out on Blair. She had reached an all time high of over doing the holiday spirit in his opinion, but he figured that if he could just do his job then she'd have nothing to really say to him. It did freak him out a bit that she seemed to be nicer to him when he returned to the penthouse, but he just figured that she had some sort of payback planned for him later on in the day. Making a last minute trip to the mall along with the brunette, Dan had to do all that he could to clear his mind and try to embrace the holidays. When they had made it to the mall it was just a full on barrage of Christmas spirit that just quickly annoyed him more than anything, and Blair could do was bask in it. Usually he would think that seeing a human side of her would be refreshing, but everything was just so damn annoying to him at this point. Carrying the bags while Blair pulled Dorota along with her to the next store, Dan did all he could to block out the mall Santa that just seemed hell bent on getting on Dan's nerves with the mixture of holiday cheer and just plain heckling, Dan did his best to block him out but find his heckling hard to do so. Looking back to see if Humphrey was finally embracing the holidays, Blair sucked on her candy can in hopes that Santa would evoke some sort of emotion out of Dan. Linking her arm in Dorota's, Blair hoped that she would see the turning point in the day but before she could begin to smile she quickly saw Santa shove Dan. Shocked by Santa's actions, Blair did all she could to try to believe that Santa hadn't done such a thing, but when she saw Dan begin to hit Santa with the bags, she quickly ran over.

"Humphrey! You can't kill Santa" Blair told him with Dorota close behind

**There's a special kind of feeling in the air**

**It only happens at this time of year**

**When everyone is filled with love and cheer'**

**Cause that's what matters**

Pulling the cookies out of the oven, Blair inhaled the aroma of her perfect ginger bread cookies. It had always been her father's favorite cookie so she thought what better way to celebrate his homecoming that to have his favorite cookie out. She always remembered that he would make exactly twelve cookies because he always believed that four was the max for a person to eat gingerbread cookies, so smiling proudly at her twelve gingerbread cookies she just knew that everything was finally aligning to be perfect. Heading over to the pantry to grab some white frosting to decorate them, Blair became more and more excited as her father would soon be landing in New York. Coming into the kitchen in hopes of getting a break for the supervision duties over the dining area, Dan made his way over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Getting the overwhelming smell of gingerbread in his nose, he soon felt the urge to have one of Dorota's cookies. Grabbing a ginger bread cookie, he took a bite out of it and was a bit surprised at how awful they tasted. Dan had come to love Dorota's baking, but knew that the Greta was the pastry master. With the frosting in hand, Blair stood surprised to see Dan with a gingerbread cookie in hand.

"What?" Dan asked

"I'm. Going. To. Kill. You" Blair declared as she picked up a pan and before he knew it, Dan took off running in fear of what she might do with the pot

**Pretty paper boxes tied with bows**

**Walking in the sun or in the snow**

**We can feel the excitement growing, knowing**

Watching the presents pile up around the tree, Blair was happy that her mother was putting her own issues aside to let her be happy for the holidays. She knew that presents didn't make the holidays, but it helped her see that her fashion for when she returns back to school will be on point. In her mind she could envision what designers her mother had tucked away in the boxes because Eleanor wasn't exactly the sneakiest of people. Whatever her mother got her, she was just glad that she was spending the holidays in her home and not back in the institution. On occasion whenever she was around a mirror, Blair attempted to do the assigned task by Dr. Han but each time she thought she could, she always found a reason to make herself stop and go back to the focus of the holidays. Beaming with happiness that she was able to find her fathers one of kind golf clubs in just enough time for the holidays, Blair walked over to grab one and in a spur of the moment deal, she began to pretend like she was on the golf course with her father. Practicing her swing, she hoped that she would master her golfing talent and finally hit a ball instead of always missing. Lining up the put, she got deep into character as she pretended that she could actually golf, squaring up her shoulders she soon swung and in that moment she was glad to see that she had finally connected with some balls. Hunching over in pain, Dan did his best to not cry but found the impact of the swing too much to contain. Slowly falling to the floor, Blair covered her mouth in shock that she had hit him square in the privates, but secretly she was proud that she at least connected with some balls for once. With a slight laugh, she did all she could to see if he was all right but make sure that she couldn't see her laughing.

**It's the greatest time of year, and it's here**

**Help me celebrate itWith everybody here, friends so dear**

**Let me simply state itJoy to the world and everyone**

**Lift up your hearts and feel the love**

**It's our favourite way, to spend the holiday**

**Yeah**

* * *

><p>Hearing her father's laughter fill the room again was just an amazing feeling for her. It had been quite some time since she had seen him, but just to hear him laugh again just made it feel like he had been home all along. Roman of course was with him, and although she would have loved to experience the holidays with just her parents, she was glad to see that her father was truly and genuinely happy in his relationship. After a well prepared dinner that Blair personally supervised to perfection, they all pretty much sat around the table and just talked about the current issues as well as family memories of the holidays. Looking over at Dan, who sat beside her at the table because he was usually here until late in the evening, she saw that the pain of her golf swing still stuck with him and that he was more hesitant to put ice on his area than anything. For the most part they had managed to keep their bickering to a minimum, but she knew that he knew how important it was to be able to be around her father in a time in her life where she just needed her parents. Looking on at how cordial Eleanor was, Dan couldn't help but feel like his family was far from this. He'd laugh to himself in disbelief to think that a family with so many issues could manage to be okay, while his was falling apart at the seems due to his mother's infidelity and his efforts to keep his mother a saint in his sisters eyes were just beginning to take a toll on him. Noticing the boy deep in thought, Harold saw this as his opportunity to ask him a few question.<p>

"So Blair, you never introduced me to your friend here" Harold smiled

"That's because Humphrey isn't a friends, he's the help that like to help himself to a plate all the time" Blair quickly replied as Dan just laughed at her wit

"My name is Dan" Dan replied

"Well its nice to meet you Dan" Harold said "So do you go to St. Jude's?" he asked

"Yes" Dan replied hesitantly

"That's good. You frequent the house often?" Harold asked

"He's here like the wallpaper" Blair replied "But after a while he's like mole you can't get rid of, so you just say it's a birth defect" she said

"I'm not a birth defect" Dan said to himself

"And this is a constant. The bickering, I'd say they don't get along but they do in some odd way" Eleanor told Harold with a bit of laughter

"Bickering and secret understandings. This spells a Hollywood classic" Harold smiled

"Oh, that's far from this scenario" Dan replied "This is more like Spike and Angel in the last season of Angel, mutual understanding but mutual annoyance" he said

"Speak in current terms Humphrey, no one watches that" Blair replied

"And she corrects him, that's familiar" Harold laughed

"Daddy, please do not make me hurl a perfectly good dinner" Blair said and in that moment an awkward silence came to the room. Feeling as if this was that moment where she had pointed at the elephant in the room, Blair did all she could to remain normal and chalk this up to her using the wrong word but it seemed like the awkwardness only reinforced that there were certain things that she couldn't be normal about anymore

"I for one am glad you left this perfection to Dorota because your ginger bread cookies were horrible" Dan said cutting the silence in the room

"My attempts are with good intentions" Blair said still feeling like the elephant was present

"I just don't see you baking Care Blair" Harold said making an effort to make his daughter feel comfortable

"I try" Blair smiled

"So tell me more about yourself Daniel. How are you liking St. Jude's, what do you see for yourself in the future?" Harold asked

"I plan to attend or at least aiming to go to Dartmouth" Dan said

"A man aiming for the ivy's, I like you" Harold smiled

"I prefer outside the ivy's, its always so clean cut" Roman said

"Anything outside of the ivy's then your wasting your time at St. Jude's" Blair replied

"That I do have to agree with" Dan said "Not that its not appealing to go to the New York Universities" he said

"All in which daddy has connections to" Blair smiled

"Wait, you have connections to New York University…Dartmouth?" Dan asked

"I do have a few friends on the board on each of the schools" Harold smiled "But I try not to use them too much because in return you'll get used as well in the future" he said

"Tit for tat" Blair said

"In some cases" Harold laughed "That's excellent that you're using your studies to prepare for colleges like that" he smiled

"He may not be able to use them for long" Blair laughed "Humphrey, here has a problem on the horizon in that area" she said

"What are you talking about?" Dan asked with a bit of confusion as to how she knew

"Humphrey can't handle the cost increase with tuition, which is nothing to be ashamed of because this economy now is being robbed every which way" Blair said

"Your unbelievable!" Dan said to himself as he dropped his fork

"I try to tell myself that everyday" Blair smiled in her usual cocky manner that annoyed him "You should see if daddy could pull some strings for you at the school, he good at business talk" she said

"Is this true Daniel?" Eleanor asked

"I…I am in a bit of a bind, but its nothing I can't handle" Dan sighed

"Your father never mentioned anything about this, when I spoke to him" Eleanor said in much concern

"My father?" Dan questioned

"I invited your family over for Christmas Eve. I went by your loft and we had a lovely conversation" Eleanor said

"Lovely and Brooklyn don't go together" Blair said as Dan just shook his head

"Yeah, I don't think that…we have plans" Dan said

"Your father agreed that you guys were coming over" Eleanor quickly replied "Is there something brothering you Daniel?" she asked as she observed the boy becoming more antsy in his seat as if he just wanted to run out

"I'm good. I'm good" Dan replied feeling as if the spotlight was burning brightly on him and he just couldn't handle it any longer

"This economy is in bad shape, and it is making it harder for people" Roman said hoping that Dan hadn't felt embarrassed

"Yeah, this economy" Dan sighed "If you don't mind, I think I should be heading home…I have a lot of homework" he said getting up from his chair

"It's Christmas break" Blair replied

"Not for all of us" Dan said as he pushed his chair in "It was nice to meet you Mr. Waldorf and Roman" he told them as he made his way out of the room

"That was rude" Blair scoffed

"You do realize what you did, right?" Harold asked her

"What did I do?" Blair asked in complete confusion

"You embarrassed him" Eleanor siad

"Humphrey doesn't get embarrassed, I simply tried to make a statement well known. He needs help, daddy has connections" Blair said

"But that's his business, not yours" Harold said

"I don't understand what the big deal was, I helped him. I found Tiny Tim and lead him to a present, which is daddy helping him" Blair said

"No, you embarrassed him" Eleanor said "There is a way to help someone then there is a way to wait until they ask for help, even if you know they need it" she said

"If he waits any longer then he'll be going to a public school by the time he admits what I all ready know. The doctor wanted progress, and I just progressed" Blair said

"And in the process you just hurt him, that's not progress" Eleanor told her

"You should apologize" Harold told his daughter

"For what? I helped him" Blair said

"You may have had good intentions but you went about the wrong way" Harold said "Now, go after him and apologize" he told her once more as she reluctantly rose from her chair

"I find it amusing that now you two choose to agree on something" Blair said sarcastically

"It's the wonders of parenthood, it allows you to team up to take down the child any way possible" Eleanor said as she took a sip of her wine while Roman and Harold just laughed

"I'm not going to grovel. I'll say my bad and be done with it" Blair said as she made her way out of the dining area only to see that Dan had left the penthouse. Pulling her cell phone out, she had to admit that she was happy for Gossip Girl at this point because through this website so much access was given. Looking up the now proclaimed Lonely Boy to see that he was on route back to Brooklyn. "Why me?" she cried out to herself as she reluctantly grabbed her coat

* * *

><p>Flinging the door open, Dan did all he could to control his anger but it just seemed to be pouring out of him at this point. He hadn't expected Blair to know about his difficulties, but it was to be expected that she would find out seeing as she had a knack of being in everyone's business. Clenching his fists shut, Dan paced the floor in hopes that he would calm down but he just felt as if the world was just literally against him. Of course he knew if he thought about this later that he would say that he was overreacting a bit to all of this but he couldn't feel any other way at this point. It was like an uphill battle that he continually had to fight where he attended a school that had so much of everything, but yet he didn't have the financial means to say that he belonged. He thought it was crazy to entertain that thought because he knew how smart he was, he knew that even though he didn't have the money he possessed the potential to be great like the trust fund kids he attended school with. Zoning in on one of his mother's paintings that his dad always kept up in the gallery, Dan couldn't help but lose himself in that moment…he couldn't help but get a surge of energy that lead him to direct his anger towards an object now. Walking over towards the picture, he quickly grabbed the painting off the wall and in a fit of rage he began to smash against the counter top. Looking on at her phone to see if she was at the right place, Blair peeked in to hear loud noises come from within. Seeing Dan in a fit of rage caused her to look on with much confusion, but she figured that it had to be more than her comments at dinner to cause him to act like this. Slowly closing the door behind her, she took a moment to let him work out his issues before she'd make her presence known to him.<p>

"You done?" Blair asked before he quickly turned around to see the brunette standing over by the door

"Not you again. Go home" Dan huffed in frustration before tossing the broken pieces of the frame over to the side

"Believe me, I would like to" Blair replied "What's with all the Vanilla Ice rage?" she asked

"Blair, I'm really trying to be nice to you but I would greatly appreciate if you left me alone right now. You've done enough to add to it, but this goes beyond you, so please back the hell off" Dan told her in a controlled voice

"Fine. I came by to attempt to apologize for my slip up, but now that I've had my chance to think about it…its really not that big of a deal. You might get kicked out, big whoop, you'll bounce back" Blair said

"That's just so typical of you" Dan laughed to himself in disbelief "Big whoop! This coming from the girl who hasn't to worry about any financial need in her life?" he declared

"And I'm fortunate, but you make it seem like this is the biggest crisis in the world if the world deals you a lemon. Either find a way to make it work or just shut up about it. Your problems shouldn't have to be everyone else's" Blair told him

"Are you being serious right now?" Dan questioned

"Yes, I am thank you very much. For someone who likes to think they're smart, then you'd find a way to stay at St. Jude's instead of complaining. Newflash, nothing gets accomplished when you pout about it" Blair told him "You did the same thing when it came to your mom to Serena, but I have no sympathy when you act like a freakin' cry baby, Serena may, but not me" she said

"Because then that would require you to have a heart, and that questionable when it comes to you" Dan quickly replied

"And I admit that, I can be a bitch but I'm not going to deny it" Blair told him in response "I'm a bitch, deal with it. I make no apologies for my life and I don't plan to" she said

"No, there is a difference about making no apologies from where you come from, but your just a stuck up snob that is oblivious to reality in general" Dan said

"Oblivious? My world is reality, it may not seem like it to you but there is more reality in having to grow up at a record pace than to someone who can make notions and form hypothesis's on what reality should be" Blair said

"Just because you can get into any club and drink freely in any establishment doesn't mean you've suffered the harshness of reality" Dan replied finding her argument to be stupid

"And that would be your opinion on what my reality is, again your own skewed perception of what you think" Blair said

"No, I believe I've hit it on the nail with you. You like to condemn those for not being on your so called social status and social bracket, but everything has been handed to you. You haven't had to worry about paying a bill or if you would eat that night or getting money together in time to at least make the second notice after pleading with a company to get that notice because there was no chance in hell you'd have it the first time. You have no idea, so don't talk to me about reality because you have yet to live it" Dan yelled

"Oh, your such a hypocrite!" Blair yelled in response "You sit up here and talk about how you have to quote, unquote struggle…but you have no idea what my struggles have been because you don't bother to see my perspective" she said

"An eating disorder, that's your only claim to fame when it comes to struggles…but that demon is of your own creation, not of social structure" Dan replied as she literally glared at him in a manner that she wished she could shoot bullets at him with her eyes

"Go to hell" Blair said in a demanding tone that let him know that maybe he took things too far with mentioning a topic that was still fresh for her in so many ways

"Gah! Look, this is why I told you to leave?…" Dan said before Blair cut him off

"Screw you Dan Humphrey! Screw your narrow minded beliefs, and your holier than thou attitude. As far as I can see, the school will be doing you and your limited future a favor by tossing you out" Blair told him before she turned to leave. Reaching for the handle, she turned it a few times but found the effect of her grand exit was slowly waning as the door wouldn't open

"What now?" Dan asked noticing that she couldn't open the door

"Your crappy ass door won't open!" Blair yelled

"That's stupid, it opens" Dan said as he walked over to try to open it himself

"Now who's stupid, jackass!" Blair replied as he continually tried but met the same results

"You did something. You had to" Dan pleaded as he tried to open the door

"The only thing I should have done was never set foot in Brooklyn" Blair replied

"Yeah, well we agree on something" Dan said as he continued to struggle but was slowly beginning to accept that they were locked in "Why me?" he cried to himself

* * *

><p><strong>Think of all the fun I've missed<strong>

**Think of all the boys I haven't kissed**

**Next year I could be just as good**

**If you check off my Christmas list**

Engulfed that was all things Christmas, the blond couldn't help but feel a sense of relief to be amongst the very things that she loved the most about coming to the mall. Though she had like to think of herself as a window shopper, she couldn't help but dream about one day having the things she'd always dreamed of. Walking over to the escalator, she looked on at her fellow classmates that had the Marc Jacobs, Tiffany's, Bloomingdale's bag hanging from their hands like it was a familiar hold for them. Staring at the girls as they just laughed and talked like they had no care in the world, she herself couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have those things. In the back of her mind she could hear Eric saying something along the lines of her appreciating the things she had all ready in her life, but she quickly pushed those thoughts to the side as she just wanted to enjoy herself. Taking her coat off, she was in search of that inner heiress within herself, she wanted for one day to feel as if she deserved to be sitting at Eleanor Waldorf's dinner table.

**Santa baby, I want a yacht and really that's not a lot**

**I've been an angel all year, santa baby**

**So hurry down the chimney tonight**

Walking through the Dockers section of Macy's, she grabbed the sailing hat as she began to pose in the mirror. Pretending that she was on a yacht heading down to the Riveira, she laughed and posed in the mirror for a bit but soon began to wonder if people were looking at her. Not wanting to show her game of dress up to the world, she grabbed a few clothes off the rack before she headed in to the fitting rooms. She had encountered a few glances like she seemed out of place to even try on the clothing, she simply laughed it off as she took this as her form of getting to play dress up. Trying on her polos, she sat back on the bench in the dressing room, pretending as the wind was blowing through her hair as she lay out on her yacht enjoying the summer breeze. Bringing her hand up in an enclosed manner, she sipped on her fake magarita before waving on at Sean Combs and George Clooney, who happened to be in dream world passing her by. Shouting out invitations to their parties that were to go on later on in the evening, Jenny laughed elegantly as she turned them down left and right with declarations of trying to make it to the Ritz on time this year.

**Santa, honey, there's one more thing I really do need, the deed**

**To a platinum mine, santa honey**

**So hurry down the chimney tonight**

**Come and trim my Christmas tree**

**With some decorations bought at Tiffany's**

**I really do believe in youLet's see if you believe in me**

Snacking on her popcorn, she looked up at the big Christmas tree that glistened with decorations from head to toe. Ever since she was a little kid, she had always wanted to have the biggest Christmas tree in the lot so that the smell of the pine would illuminate the house. It was weird to her brother and father, but it was the smell of pine that just made her feel like that was what a Christmas was suppose to be like. Imagining herself with the oversized tree, she could only imagine the fun she'd have just decorating and showing off the items that she hung from her tree. Decorations from Tiffany's hanging from the tree along with the numerous designers she had under the tree, she could see herself being the envy of all the girls in town.

**Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing**

**A ring**

**And I don't mean on the phone, santa baby**

**So hurry down the chimney tonight **

Finally getting around to why she came in the first place, she walked through the aisles and aisles of dresses just in awe of how stunning they looked. She'd pick one up every now and then to hold up to her body just imaging how this would look on her before she'd grow tired of them like a true celebrity. Rushing off to the next one that caught her eye, Jenny found herself falling in love with the blue dress and found it hard to put this one down as she quickly made her way over to the mirror to continue to gawk on at the loveliness of the dress that complimented her figure. Finishing up his conversation with the clerk, Chuck handed over the tip to the clerk before leaving with his gift bag in hand. Happy that it didn't take long to find the perfect set of diamonds for his latest fling he'd have in Costa Rica, he quickly glanced over to see Jenny standing in front of the mirror looking at herself in the mirror. He could tell by the way she was looking at herself that she was deep in her imagination, to where she could see herself in this dress. A slight devilish smile came to his face knowing that he had her right where he wanted her. Looking down at the price tag of the dress, Jenny's eyes nearly bulged out of her head to see the amount but it was apparent that her disappointment showed more than anything as she really loved this dress. Glancing around the area a bit to see if anyone else had seen her love, she closed her eyes as if she were trying to talk herself into something before she finally just took a deep breath and scrunched up the dress. Putting the dress in her bag that contained Dan's present, she wasted no time in trying to escape before arm was grabbed.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" Chuck asked her as he looked at her in complete dismay before a moment of panic and silence came between them. Noticing that she looked like a deer in headlights, he let go of his grip before running his hand through his finely combed hair as he casually looked around to see if anyone had noticed "Give me the dress?" he asked

"What?" Jenny asked

"Give me the dress?" Chuck asked before she nervously took the dress out to hand to him

"What are you going to do?" Jenny asked

"Stay here, I'm going to go pay for it" Chuck told her before he walked off with the dress in hand

* * *

><p>Doing her best to pick up a decent amount of cell phone service, Blair's hope of being let out of this hell hole was slowly beginning to fade away. Looking over at Dan trying to create any object that would get them out, Blair just rolled her eyes as his attempts were becoming more pathetic by the minute. Getting up from her seat, she walked around the gallery and with a pout she could see the little things that she knew were going to disturb her later on if not sooner than she imagined. Tossing the wrench to side, Dan cleared his face of the sweat that was beginning to form on his face. Noticing the brunette's disgust of the place, he just rolled his eyes as he could only imagine the insults she was saying to herself. Turning back to see that he had finally given up on his attempt to break out, Dan and Blair just looked and glared at each other for a moment.<p>

"So you've successfully managed to ruin my Christmas with my father" Blair told him "Congratulations Humpty Humphrey!" she yelled at him

"No one wanted to ruin your stupid Christmas" Dan replied as he walked over towards the table

"You could have fooled me! You probably planned this. You probably sat in your hole in the wall loft and thought how can I ruin Blair's Christmas…and with all your plotting and scheming you succeeded" Blair yelled

"I could care less about your Christmas! I have bigger things to worry about then sabotaging your little perfect Christmas" Dan replied angrily

"It would have been if you wouldn't have brought your melo drama into the mix. I was better off without you today, better yet without knowing you period" Blair said

"The same goes for me. The only reason I keep the damn job is because I need it!" Dan yelled

"Oh, you need it! What you need is to get over yourself" Blair replied

"Get over myself? Your one to talk. You've been so anal about every little damn thing when it comes to Christmas. You still want perfection out of things that should just be! For once in your life, accept that things aren't going to be perfect and leave it at that" Dan told her

"I choose not to live by your motto" Blair fired back

"You mean a rational train of thought unlike your elitest one?" Dan told her

"Elitest? You act more elitest than I do, and you don't seem to have a problem when it comes to you sitting courtside at a Knicks game, and when you mack on Serena van der Woodsen. Newflash, a Baizen and Van der Woodsen takes away your voice of the poor because your too busy living it up with the trust fund kids" Blair replied

"There you go! The little insults, can you ever just talk to me like I'm a normal person….that right there takes away your argument that your not an elitest snob" Dan said

"I speak to you that way because insulting you is the only way to communicate with you" Blair said

"No, I believe using words in a form of a sentence is the way to communicate" Dan replied

"There you go? Your sarcastic and jackass come backs" Blair said

"Stop calling me a jackass!" Dan yelled

"Then stop acting like one" Blair said as a moment of silence came between them

"You try your best to hide behind this notion of a perfect Christmas, but I know you well enough to know that its all an act" Dan said

"An act? Do tell me Great Dan Humphrey on why I feel the need to act?" Blair asked

"Because this is your lame attempt of avoiding the issue once again, avoiding the fact that perfection is far from your life. Your perfect Christmas is your tactic of avoiding your eating disorder" Dan told her

"Oh my God! Could you just drop the damn disorder, believe it or not I do have a life outside of my disorder. I'm not defined by the fact that I was bulimic" Blair said

"Correction, are. You are a bulimic, you can't just erase the past couple weeks because you want to create another image of yourself" Dan said

"Because I don't choose to mope and be depressed about. I'm dealing with what's happened, but I don't choose to bring others down along with me unlike you" Blair said

"Why be depressed when you pretend like the problem doesn't exist. Now you deal with it!" Dan told her

"Bravo. Bravo" Blair clapped "You have cracked the code that is me. Do you want a damn gold star?" she asked him sarcastically

"You know, I used to think…" Dan said before Blair interrupted him

"That's what you call it" Blair said as Dan just gritted his teeth

"I used to think that you were dealing with something beyond your control, like you were a victim of all the things that has happened in your life and you just found a bad outlet in order to deal with the looming doubts you had about yourself, but I can see it clear now. I can see now that you enjoy this disorder, its like your little fall back that you get to use so mommy and daddy will pay attention to you. As long as its out there that poor little Blair hawks up her food, then they'll have to devote their attention to you. You have no intention of trying to get better, all you want to do is milk this so that you can be the center of attention and create your illusions of perfection…well look what trying to perfect got you!" Dan ranted before Blair slapped him. Holding his hand to his face, he looked back to see the tears welled up in her eyes before she walked off to the other room of the gallery.

"Blair" Dan called out but met no response as the guilt of his words were starting to kick in "Dammit!" he cursed at himself

* * *

><p>It had been quite some time since she had been in his limo, but it was still familiar to her how it felt to her. Plagued with embarrassment, she hung her head or at least tried to make as little eye contact with him as possible. Swirling the whiskey around in his glass, he did all he could to not bring up the recent events but found it a bit intriguing that she could do something like that. Chuck didn't want to bring up what had happened because he wasn't one to give lectures on how to do the right thing. On occasion she would look over at him to see how mature he was beyond his belief that he could just sit there and drink whiskey like it was a casual drink. She had come to pick up tid bits about the playboy, but from her interaction with him she could pick up that he wasn't like other boys or just guys in general, he had this seasoned feeling about him that made her all the more intrigued. Pulling up in front of her building, she nodded in his direction before she attempted to leave until he had grabbed on to her hand.<p>

"Wait" Chuck said as she hesitantly looked back him "Could we talk really quick?" he asked before she sat back down

"I'm not sure what else you can say to me. I feel like an idiot for trying that back there, and I was a bitch to you the last time we spoke…" Jenny babbled

"I'm sorry" Chuck said as he interrupted her

"Why are you sorry?" Jenny asked in confusion

"Do we really have to get in depth about why I'm sorry, I thought I would say it and be done" Chuck replied

"Sorry usually comes with a reason. It makes it more believable, less in case your just saying words" Jenny said

"I'm sorry because…I'm sorry" Chuck said as all she could do was laugh

"You don't say those two words often, do you?" Jenny asked

"Never bothered to" Chuck said

"I can see where that could come in to play" Jenny laughed "Is that all you wanted to tell me?" she asked

"No, I wanted to….I saw you back there. I watched you and I could tell how much you enjoyed the image of yourself in that dress. How much you enjoyed what that dress represented" Chuck told her

"It represented me trying to look nice for Christmas Eve at Eleanor Waldorf's dinner party" Jenny concluded

"Dinner at the Waldorf's, Humphrey has managed to get the old bird to like him" Chuck laughed

"Did you really just call Eleanor an old bird?" Jenny asked in disbelief

"I would lie and say that was a term of endearment, but then I'm trying to be honest right now" Chuck said

"That dress didn't represent anything" Jenny said

"You should be honest back with me, I'm the only person that won't pass judgment on you because I've done just about every wrong thing there is to do" Chuck told her as she took a moment to study him, to tell if she could truly trust him

"I wanted the dress, I wanted it so bad that I wanted to steal it" Jenny said "I'm not that person, I would never do something like that" she laughed to herself in disbelief "Everything going on in my family has been so crazy right now, Dan and my dad treat me like I'm some child" she said

"I hate to state the obvious, but your still a child" Chuck said

"I'm old enough to get the truth, and I have this feeling like their keeping something from me. Sometimes I just want scream because being in that house is like being suffocated to death. Then there is school….its so hard trying to fit in and stay true to what they want me to be" Jenny said

"And you like this world?" Chuck asked

"I like parts of it, but I'm not as obsessed with it" Jenny replied

"It's okay to be" Chuck laughed "I mean I know what it could look like to an outsider, and it can be much at times" he said

"Yes, because having access to anything and everything is so terrible" Jenny laughed

"It's okay to want it, but you have to ask yourself one question…how bad do you want this world?" Chuck asked

"I don't want it" Jenny replied

"Your actions say otherwise. No one steals a five hundred dollar dress just for kicks, you steal it because you desire it, you steal because you want it" Chuck said

"That's not true" Jenny said feeling as if he was starting to look in deeper to her than she had intended

"You know the difference between Waldorf and you? She can be at her worst and still belong in this world, just off of name alone. You, Jenny, you'll never truly belong because you'll always wonder when the other shoe will drop" Chuck said "You can have this, you can take advantage of your connections but you have to look beyond…you always have to have a plan A and plan B in order to just make it. Take advantage of your opportunities" he said

"And what opportunities would that be?" Jenny asked

"The rumors. There's no such thing as bad publicity, you should live by that creed" Chuck said as he took a sip from his glass

"You can't be serious?" Jenny said in disbelief

"You want your shot, take it" Chuck said "You use this to your advantage, and then dictate how your perceived after that" he told her

"I'm perceived as a ho right now. The rumors aren't true, I never lost my virginity, and this witch hunt of who I screwed has me linked to every guy in the school practically" Jenny said

"It's not easy, but you can take control of the situation, and you know what you have to do" Chuck said

"Your actually serious about this?" Jenny questioned

"Think about it" Chuck said

"There's no need to. I'm still from Brooklyn, I can't change that…I don't have money like you. I'm not Upper Eastside" Jenny said

"All you've done is list the negative, thank God, there is only a few of them. Now imagine the positive" Chuck told her

"There is no positive?" Jenny said "I'm not what those rumors make me out to be" she said

"Okay, well you have your key, you choose whether to use it or not" Chuck told her as Jenny just sat in deep thought for a moment before leaving. Walking as if she was in a track meet on up to the loft, she made no efforts to stop and talk to her neighbors but just kept walking. Letting herself inside the loft, she was glad to see that both Dan and her father were not in as she just dropped her things and paced back and forth. Running her hand through her hair, she kept shaking her head wondering what she should do.

"This is crazy!" Jenny said to herself as she looked on at her brother's lap top "This is stupid. This is crazy. This is wrong" she told herself as if she was hoping it would stick in her mind. Thinking back to everything that had happened in the span of the day, she just shook her head but found the temptation getting the best of her. Walking over to his computer, she sat down and just closed her eyes in hopes that she could talk herself out of it, but found that it was getting harder to think clearly or even logically when so much of what he said was right. She wanted that world, she wanted what that world could bring to her and by today's actions, she was ready to steal for it. Navigating to the Gossip Girl website, Jenny went to the latest update on her scandalous new sex life before she went to add a new post "I never kiss and tell, but things are so much better without my v-card in tact" she said aloud as she wrote before hitting send.

Sitting in his limo still, Chuck received the latest update on Gossip Girl and he was a bit surprise that it took this long before she showed her hand. A slight smile came to his face as he exited out of the screen and began to call one of his contacts "It's me. That dress that I had put on loan, the blue one…it was stolen" Chuck said as he looked on at the light on from her loft.

* * *

><p>For an hour, she sat in the spare room of the gallery just playing on her phone, in hopes that the day would soon end and she'd get to go back home to spend the holidays with her dad. Smelling an aroma of ginger bread cookies coming from the other room, Blair slowly poked her head out to see that Dan was off in the kitchenette area of the gallery. Glaring on at the boy, she began to wonder what his game was, what he was trying to do by making the very cookies that he knew she liked. Coming out slowly but surely after what was an hour of them being in separate rooms, she was surprised to see the gallery turned into some mini winter wonderland. She did her best not to show much of a reaction to his crappy attempt but she did find it noble of him to at least try. Hearing footsteps, Dan nearly dropped the last batch of cookies once he saw her coming towards him. Rushing over to help him pick up the cookies, they nervously gathered the cookies and put them off to the side so that they could throw away. Rising to their feet, he licked the icing that he had on his hand off as she looked on at him. Once again she looked on at the display and wondered just what this all was suppose to be.<p>

"What is all of this?" Blair asked

"My feeble attempt of saying I'm sorry. Me saying that I am a jackass for how I've treated you today, and me realizing that I was out of line" Dan said

"So this your attempt at a sorry?" Blair asked "Because it was lacking" she pointed out

"I'm sorry Blair for being a complete jackass to you" Dan laughed

"I don't think laughing goes with an apology. C'mon Humphrey, do it the correct way" Blair teased

"Blair, I'm sorry" Dan said as he turned to look at her "Do you accept?" he asked

"You don't ask me if I accept, your suppose to have faith that I will" Blair replied "Then the things you said, I deserve at least a two day cooling off period" she said

"Yeah, well we don't have that much time. I talked to my dad and said that we should be out by tomorrow. So you'll get to spend Christmas Eve with your dad" Dan told her

"That's semi good and depressing news" Blair pouted "I mean the gallery is a bit nicer that I originally pictured it but I still prefer my room for night time" she said

"I figured you'd say that and I wish I could get to the part where I show the miraculous bed that I put together, but all I have is sheets and blankets" Dan said as he grabbed the cookies and head over towards the laid out spread that he had made for them "Oh, and pillows" he said observing the two

"So you offer a floor? Yes, Humphrey, I got your world wrong by a long shot" Blair said sarcastically

"You might actually like sleeping on the floor because its not like you've ever tried it. It was better than that mattress at the institution" Dan said

"Lets try not to go back to that regretful night of us sleeping together" Blair told him

"Why? Is it too much for you?" Dan smiled at her and she had to admit that a part of her heart skipped a beat as she looked at his smile

"No, you just don't do too well on the sharing" Blair said "What's with all the décor though, its proof that you really can't decorate, but why did you do it?" she asked

"You wanted perfection" Dan sighed as he began to reach to grab a cookie from the bowl before he began to munch on it "I know this is far from your idea of a winter wonderland, but I thought I could add some bit of holiday cheer" he said

"I appreciate the attempt, but I guess after thinking about what you had to deal with…I can understand why you were a Scrooge" Blair said as he just laughed "My intention wasn't to embarrass you, I was trying to help you in some weird way. Daddy has connections and I thought I could use them to help you" she said

"With no selfish reasons behind it?" Dan asked a bit quizzically

"With the…the hopes of meeting Dr. Han's requirement of progress. I thought by me helping you that it would equal progress" Blair reluctantly admitted

"Your beyond transparent" Dan laughed "There is always a motive" he said

"Clearly my motive sucked, but I do still think that I could help you. You just have to stop being so stubborn and accept the help" Blair said

"It's not in my nature. I'm a very proud guy" Dan said

"Your very annoying, proud is not the word" Blair said "But its okay to ask for help" she said

"I'm aware of that" Dan said "But I had the money…I just used it for something else" he said

"Oh, wow! You really are stupid" Blair said

"I used it for Jenny. I took out my savings and put towards her tuition. So I have to pay down her tuition for next year, on top of helping my dad out with the rent" Dan said

"So that means you'd be sacrificing yourself" Blair concluded "Why did you do that? I mean know why but…why sacrifice a school that you'd benefit from" she asked

"Because Jenny would benefit from it. She likes Constance, and I would rather her have something than me" Dan said

"If you made that decision based on that reasoning, then why were you upset?" Blair asked

"Because I know what a school like St. Jude's would look like on a college app. I'd have a shoe in at Dartmouth than if I came from a regular public school . I sacrificed but I just…I feel like it's a never ending circle for my family on just trying to make do" Dan told her

"Because of your mom?" Blair asked

"Because of my mom" Dan nodded "I wish she could see how everything isn't fine. I wish she could see how hard it is to lie to my sister, and be the bad guy because she's too coward to just come out with it" he said

"I can understand on the mom hate, I had my spurt with it for a while" Blair sighed

"Yes, but your mom was there for you when you needed her" Dan said

"Only because of my attention seeking habits" Blair said throwing in his face what he had accused her of earlier

"I didn't mean that" Dan said

"I know. I just…I just feel like maybe I am avoiding it. Maybe I'm not ready to face the whole reality of what I've done to myself and my body" Blair told him

"What's there to hide from? You've all ready done the hard part" Dan said

"No, the hard part is having to look at yourself and say that I think this is beautiful about me, when in the back of your mind you still hate that aspect of your body" Blair said "As much as it takes to admit that you have a problem, its harder to get rid of that train of thought" she said

"Is that what your working on with Dr. Han, hence the progress?" Dan asked

"Yes, I've been avoiding the dreaded look at my body" Blair sighed "He wants me to look at my body in the mirror and write down what I like about my body….and me being stubborn…" she said

"Haven't done it" Dan said

"My fixation of the perfect Christmas was me trying to focus on everything but that. I wanted things to be normal, I wanted to forget about the word disorder because I swear every time I hear it, it just gets me so angry and annoyed because I'm more than that. I'm more than a disorder" Blair said

"Then be that" Dan told her "I know that its easier said than done, but I happen to think that your strong enough to beat this. Your stubborn as hell" he laughed

"It takes more than being stubborn. I mean look who's my best friend" Blair said "Always be in the shadows of Serena van der Woodsen, you begin to see what is supposed to be and that differences don't make you special. I almost tried dying my hair blond back when we were little kids because I wanted to be like Serena because Serena was my example" she said

"I get the Serena appeal…" Dan said before she interrupted

"Everyone gets the Serena appeal. Hell, my own boyfriend got the Serena appeal" Blair shrugged "He got more of it than I anticipated but everyone see's her, and then they glance at me" she said

"Your more than a glance" Dan told her as they just looked at each other for a moment before he got up from his seat on the blanket to walk over to grab a marker

"What are you doing?" Blair asked as he took his shirt off "Okay, Humphrey, what are you doing?" she asked as she began to freak out once he undid his belt. Walking over to the lamp, he shined the light to a spot on the wall before he stood in the spotlight

"I think my arms are too bony" Dan said as he wrote the words on his arm

"Humphrey" Blair said as she looked on at him "You don't have.." she said before he interrupted

"I like my abs" Dan said as he wrote that on his stomach and she couldn't help but agree as she thought to herself "I hate that I have so much hair on my chest" he said writing it on his chest

"I knew you shaved….I mean not that I saw your chest until recently" Blair said

"I like my jaw line" Dan said as he wrote "I hate my sideburns, which is why I shave them like crazy" he said before he looked over at her to see that he had her attention "I hate my love handles, I like that I have a inny for a belly button" he wrote as he spoke "I hate the tip of my nose, I like my forehead" he said beginning to struggle with trying to fit the writing in. Looking over at her, he could see tears welled up in her eyes before he walked back over to sit down in front of her "Everyone likes and dislikes something about their bodies, but it's the differences that you embrace that make you. This world would have made another Serena if that's what they intended, but they didn't" he told her

"Clearly" Blair laughed through her welled up tears "But putting me in the same sentence as Serena would be a punch line all in itself" she said

"I don't think so" Dan replied seriously

"Nate did. I could tell that he loved her, I knew that for the longest. I was just too insecure to let him go….I figured that if I had a piece of him then that would be good enough" Blair said "That must be that stubbornness that you spoke of. Makes me sound pathetic" she sighed "With Nate I just felt like his good girl, his ordinary girlfriend that he was supposed to be with. He never looked at me like he looked at Serena, he looked at her like she was ….beautiful. Serena was beautiful and I was just Blair to him" she told him

"I don't have to go to St. Jude's to know that Nate is an idiot" Dan said

"Nate is…" Blair said before Dan interrupted

"An idiot" Dan filled in "Look, girls like you are the kind people see on the classics. The girls that transcend what the word beauty means. You're the kind of girl that guys wish they had and hate they lost" he said

"Is that a compliment coming from you Humphrey?" Blair asked unable to hold back her laughter

"Yeah, it's a compliment" Dan smiled as a moment of silence came between them. Looking on at her, Dan couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her as she just laughed as she looked on at the words he had written on his body

"I do like your abs….they're very…nice" Blair laughed before he extended his hand to tuck away a strand of hair from her face

"I think… Blair, I think your beautiful" Dan said

"You don't have to say that. I know how you think of me, we make that clear to each other on a daily basis" Blair laughed

"Is it so hard for you to believe that someone might think your beautiful?" Dan asked as Blair lowered her head as if she needed to think and recall

"I can't remember the last time I was called beautiful" Blair smiled weakly as he could see the tears welled up in her eyes just trying to break free. For the life of him he couldn't understand how a girl like her could never have those words said to her. She had her moments where she was far from be approachable, but she had this essence about her that when she truly let someone in, she could be more beautiful than anything he ever knew. This was all a mind warp for him, she had to have some idea of her own beauty.

"Well you are. Your beautiful" Dan said before he leaned in to kiss her. Her body nearly went into shock as she felt his lips pressed up against her, and in that moment she just thought all the tears she was holding back was making her delusional because she was actually enjoying the kiss, but breaking away from the kiss she realized how real it was

"What was that for?" Blair whispered as she searched his eyes for some sort of an answer

"Mistletoe. We're under mistletoe" Dan said as he pointed up at the dangling plant above them as they looked up

"Yeah, the mistletoe…because us kissing would be…" Blair said before she leaned back in to kiss him once more

* * *

><p><strong>Hold on, I'll be here when it's all done you know<strong>

**Cause what's the point in chasing if I can't enjoy your face and**

**We can't be wrong tonight, can we be wrong tonight**

Watching how Dan stared at her, she saw how his eyes slowly traveled her body. She felt as good as naked, but didn't dare move. She'd spent the last five minutes trying to figure out where to be, and how to act because the last thing she ever thought would transpire between them would be this. Normally she wouldn't dare be this close to him but the part of her brain that made her question everyone's intentions had seemed to go blank on her in the moment. She wouldn't move until he did. Closing her eyes shut, as he looked on at her with wandering eyes. Dan took his hand and began to trace the outline of her shoulders to pull away the left side of her cardigan to reveal the bare skin that seemed to be calling him. Doing the same to the other shoulder, he helped her take off her cardigan before he tossed it to the side. Leaning forward to kiss her shoulder, he lead his hand up to the side of her face as he lead a trail of kisses from her shoulder to her neck. Letting out a slight moan from the unbelievable feeling she was getting from his lips being pressed up against the side of her neck, he quickly captured her lips with his as the taste of her lipstick was more than pleasing to him. When his lips left her mouth, he kept his forehead pressed against hers as he felt her heart beat racing at a hundred miles per hour just like his was at the moment. Blair felt his hand travel across the top of her left breast, then his fingers cupped inward. They traced the top of the bra from center on out, then hooked into the strap. He pulled it from her shoulder, then rose to look down at her again. She couldn't deny that in this moment she felt safe, she felt like he saw some beauty in her that she didn't even know existed in herself. She would never say this aloud but there was something in the way that he looked at her that made her want him to never take his eyes off of her body. He kissed her as he lowered her back down on the laid out sheets that he had set up for them, then leaving her mouth to watch her body. She propped herself up so that she could slowly unhook the clasps of her bra before he help pull the bra off of her before she flung it to the side of them. With her arm she covered up her breasts so that they were a bit concealed as she looked on at him getting out of his pants before placing them to the side as well.

**You know I'm gonna find a way to let you have your way with me**

**You know I'm gonna find a time to catch your hand and make you stay**

**I don't care what clothes you wear, it's time to love and I don't care**

**You know I'm gonna find a way to let you have your way with me**

Kissing her for a bit while longer, he swore that her lips could be the death of him in this moment as there was nothing else like it. Pressing his forehead up against hers, their breathing had intensified as neither of them could back down even if they wanted to. Propping himself up on his arm as he slowly pulled down his boxers while she slowly pulled down her panties. Now she was completely naked, as he just spent a minute or two just staring at her. The next few minutes he ran his hands over her skin; her breasts, her waist, her sides, her hips, her thighs. Finally he urged her legs apart as he once again attacked the nape of her neck with his wet kisses. He played with her folds, using her own juices as lubrication. She'd moan and writhe and wriggle and cry, hold her breath, then gasp. He took his time with this, as well, enjoying the reactions he was getting. It was important to take his time here so she'd be ready for him. Feeling his manhood getting harder by the minute, she did her best not to get to nervous but she couldn't help it. Noticing her nervousness, he took his hand up to her face before he pushed away a strand of hair from her face before leaning down to give her a sweet kiss on the lips. Getting to a point where she finally felt comfortable, she laid back and watched him climb over, positioning his knees between hers. When he kissed her, she felt his weight, though he was obviously careful with it; not that he could have weighed all that much. His fingers ran through her hair, his kisses more passionate than ever before. It was hard to catch her breath, and she only could in the quick moments where he'd kiss down her neck before returning to her mouth. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around him, the skin of his back soft against her reached between them and positioned himself. Once in place, he brought his hands back up to either side of her head, staring into her eyes. Blair focused all her energy on relaxing, though the muscles in her legs ached, trying to close without her permission. She planted her lower lip between her teeth to brace herself. Slower than he'd ever moved in his life, Dan pressed into her. Almost immediately her eyes slammed shut and she cried out in pain. He felt her fingers dig into his back and held deadly still as she rode it out. It took a few seconds, but the sound stopped and her eyes slowly eased open as she sucked in a deep breath. He pet her head gently, finding tiny beads of sweat had accumulated at her hairline. He had to move a little faster now; Blair was on the verge of telling him to stop, he could tell by the look on her face and the noises she was making. After a minute had passed, her eyes widened unexpectedly at the sensation she was now feeling

**And if I was running, you'd be the one who I would be running to**

**And if I was crying, you would be lining the cloud that would pull me through**

**And if I was scared, then I would be glad to tell you and walk away**

**But I am not lying, I am just trying to find my way in to you**

Gently pulling back he then pushed in further so that she they could both feel the full amount of this sensation. His motions were slow, but he had quickly picked up his pace that it was just to incredible to stop. It would only take that firm _no_ to make him stop, and he hadn't received it yet. Watching her face, the creases, her eyes showed the pleasure she was feeling from his motions. She still looked beautiful, especially because this is what she looked like losing her virginity. Losing it to him. Her fingers softened into his back as they had eased up, and he could feel her muscles relax as he slowly pushed in and out. It was getting easier. Uttering out moans of pleasure that rang loudly in his ear, he himself found that this was the most amazing feeling ever for a virgin himself. He needed to focus. He wasn't sure how long they'd been going, but it was at least ten minutes by now. Focused on the body beneath him he made it a habit to kiss her with every chance that he got with the steady rhythm he had going. Picking up his pace without consciously realizing he was doing it, Blair moaned out quickly and in rhythm to his thrusts, which were getting deeper and harder. With one final thrust, his seed emptied inside of her as they both cried out in pleasure. Kissing the side of his face, her body quivered beneath him as he moaned through his teeth. Reaching a steady heart rate, he once again kissed her sweetly and tenderly.

**You know I'm gonna find a way to let you have your way with me**

**You know I'm gonna find a time to catch your hand and make you stay**

**I don't care what clothes you wear, it's time to love and I don't care**

**You know I'm gonna find a way to let you have your way with me**

* * *

><p>After a night of confusion, Jenny was glad to finally wake up to Christmas Eve. The holidays before today weren't exactly something that she was looking forward to, but she figured that if she focused in on the positive rather than the negative then something was bound to change for her. Finishing up with brushing her teeth, she headed back to her room and on the way she could notice that Dan was still out, the double standards quickly came to her mind of what it meant to be a boy opposed to a girl. Closing the door behind her as she entered her bedroom, she quickly walked over to her closet as she could hear her dad whistling his favorite Beatles tune. Grabbing her newly bought blue dress from the closet, she smiled at the fact that she finally had the dress that she wanted. Taking her time putting on the dress, she wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for when she would go over to Eleanor's. Twenty minutes later after much twisting and curling with her hair, Jenny finally made her grand entrance out into the living room. Looking on at his daughter with amazement by the designs that she had created, Rufus smiled proudly at his daughter just knowing that she was going to be the next greatest designer out there. Grabbing their coats, Rufus walked over to open the door but was quickly surprised to see the police standing on the other side.<p>

"Uh, what can I help you with?" Rufus asked a little taken aback

"We're hear to speak to Jenny Humphrey" The cop said

"About?" Rufus asked as Jenny clutched on tight to his arm

"About the dress she stole" The cop said as Rufus quickly turned to look at his daughter in disbelief

* * *

><p>Organizing everyone around the tree, Eleanor ran around like a chicken with her head cut off while all Harold could do was laugh at his ex-wife. Things had pretty much been pleasant for the family, and it felt good that after so much time that they could still be a family with all that had happened between them. Harold worried about Blair's whereabouts but he knew that she would do all that she could to make it back to spend the holidays with him, and if not then he'd worry but until then he'd trust his daughter. Holiday music filled the air as Eleanor sang along playfully with Dorota and a few of the staff members from both home and the office. Standing on opposite sides of the elevator, Dan and Blair hadn't said much to each other after they had been freed from the gallery, but they were unsure as to what they could say to each other after what had happened between them. He thought of saying something to break the ice, but nothing he could have said would take away the tension they were both feeling towards each other. Once the elevator doors opened, they awkwardly made their way off the elevator only to be greeted by Eleanor and Dorota.<p>

"There they are" Eleanor praised as they were met with claps of excitement "What happened to you guys?" she asked

"Nothing" They both quickly replied before they realized that they were acting weird

"We…we got locked away in my father's gallery" Dan said

"The locksmith came early and let us out" Blair then filled in the blanks for them

"Locked away with art, that sounds fun" Harold smiled

"No, not as fun as one may think" Blair sighed "So what festivities are going on now?" she asked as she tried to avoid Dan's eyes before making her way over towards her father

"We were just about to take the Christmas photo" Dorota smiled "And I think we're just about ready for that picture" she said as the photographer signaled for them to get back into place

"Well I should probably go get cleaned up. My dad and sister should be on their way" Dan said as he turned to leave

"Daniel, wait" Eleanor called out as he slowly turned to look at her, wondering what she wanted "I want you to be a part of the picture. Your like family to us" she smiled

"So much so that I even managed to pull some strings that your work here will not only go towards yourself but towards your tuition…all of your tuition" Harold told him

"What does that mean?" Dan asked

"It means that you and your sister can still go to Constance and St. Jude's" Eleanor smiled "So c'mon and lets take this picture before the turkey get burned up" she told him as Dan looked on hesitantly at Blair, wondering what she thought about this

"We don't have all day Humphrey" Blair replied nervously before she turned her attention towards the camera lens as he slowly took his place beside Dorota, who separated him from Blair

"On the count of three, say Merry Christmas" The photographer instructed them

"Okay" Harold smiled

"One" The photographer said beginning the countdown as Dan nervously whiped his hands along the side of his pants as just being near her seemed to get to him "Two" he said while Blair anxiously fixed her hair in hopes that it didn't show her bed head or floor head from the actions of the night before "Three" he said as they both slightly glanced over at the others direction not realizing that the moment of confusion and unknowing emotions had been captured forever.

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics used in this Chapter:**

**Aly and AJ- Greatest Time of Year**

**Taylor Swift- Santa Baby**

**Safetysuit- Find a Way**

**Author's Note: So I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Like mentioned before, I had fun with this one off of pure Christmas reasons. I wanted to explain a few things just to clarify what happened. Dan and Blair as you know took it to the next level, and some of you may be like that may have been too soon, but them having sex wasn't about them being unable to control themselves. Them having sex was about him wanting to show that she was beautiful and desirable in the sense that a guy could want her that way, with everything she's dealing with she's dealing with self esteem issues that has caused her to really feel like she isn't beautiful. Dan of course is closer to her because they can talk so freely about her eating disorder, so it wasn't lust but him trying to show her that she is beautiful. It was a mixture of unknown feelings because they did lose their virginities to each other, but what they shared went beyond sex and that's what is going to drive their story now. I hope I explained it well so I didn't confuse you even more so than before if it wasn't clear. If you have questions feel free to ask, I don't mind explaining my intentions.**


	12. School Lies

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy the chapter. I just came off of vacation so thats why it took so long. Thank you so much for all the reviews, I really loved them and hearing what you guys thought. So I hope you enjoy the chapter and I look forward to hearing what you guys think.**

**Chapter Eleven- School Lies**

With her hands folded promptly on her legs like the good girl she proclaimed to be, she patiently and almost even enjoyed the wait out in the lobby. Usually she would begin to detest her doctor if she had to wait any longer than two minutes, but these past few days she needed time with every aspect in her life. Promising herself to devote this time for remorse and cleansing of the soul, the young woman pulled her phone out to see that he had been calling again. It had been some time since she had talked to him, but if there was anything that she knew, she knew that'd he'd be persistent if he was truly serious about getting back together. Although she wanted to question his sudden or gradual want to get back to their long time love affair, she welcomed the relationship due to recent events with Humphrey. She needed a distraction, she needed something to let her know that she didn't commit the same crime of friendship that Serena had done that she had condemned her best friend for. If she had the chance to go back and change the moment she was almost sure that she would become a born again virgin if possible. Getting lost in her thoughts, she was soon greeted by Dr. Han, who had the cordial smile on his face that tried to convey that he was glad to see her but deep down she knew that he was probably preparing himself for a long session of push and pull with her. Following behind him to his office, she felt somewhat free to be in a space of higher knowledge. She felt as if it was safe to think the way she was thinking or explain without judgment her actions. Taking his seat, he quickly grabbed his notepad and pen to jot down a few organizational notes for his own purposes before he looked over at her.

"So Blair. Tell me about you week?" Dr. Han asked her

"What if I can't tell you about my week in particular?" Blair quickly replied nervously

"But that's what we usually talk about" Dr. Han said "That will help me see how your dealing with daily situations" he told her

"I know, but I don't think I can give you a recollection of weeks past without it appearing redundant" Blair reasoned

"It won't be redundant because its what I want to know" Dr. Han said

"Okay, well I don't….I have a problem, a problem that has caused me to feel….to feel an array of emotions" Blair told him

"Okay, what emotions would that be?" Dr. Han asked as he held his pen eager to write

"Regret" Blair replied slowly before she went in to deep thought "Do you ever have something happen that causes you to look on at everything you've done in your present and past life?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face

"Are you in remorse?" Dr. Han asked

"No, not remorse. It's….it's more than this. It's like I look at myself now and for the life of me…..I don't know who I am. I have no clue of who this girl is…I don't know how she thinks, I don't know how she justifies certain things as being okay, I don't know how she proceeds, I have no clue. I mean I'm in my own body and I just feel like the girl in the mirror is someone that I have yet to figure out" Blair told him as he couldn't seem to write down a thought that she had. Looking on at the girl, he could see that she was trying to process something that she had yet to figure out in her own right.

"Is there any one event that you want to talk about?" Dr. Han asked

"We're all alike. I mean we say that we're not but we're all alike, but its how we go about being different…" Blair said as if she were lost in a moment

**This is a call of arms to live and love and sleep together**

**We could flood the streets with love or light or heat whatever**

**Lock the parents out, cut a rug, twist and shout**

**Wave your handsMake it rain**

**For stars will rise again**

_["We want to fit in so badly that we're willing and eager to compromise, who we are. At the end of the day we're not those people we walk around pretending to be, but its like….if we pretend long enough then we become those people. We become the person or the image we want to be….]_

Turning the corner, she was almost glad to see the school but when she could hear the light whistling of her father, she immediately realized the hell she was in. After her stint with the law, he had taken the liberty of grounding her from any enjoyment of life so that he could become her personal ankle monitor. Giving him a reluctant wave, she quickly headed over to the stairs so that no one would see that her father had walked her to school, Jenny was greeted with the usual whispers from girls that she had passed or had yet to pass. Spotting Katy and Isobel off in the courtyard, Jenny tried to remain calm as she didn't want to come across as being overjoyed. Making her way up to the girls, she was greeted with a smile as if her latest confession had landed her in their good graces over the many minions that hadn't even made it to their level, let alone reach Blair's like list. Grabbing a seat, she listened on to the girls chat about their weekend hook ups that usually had more girls than guys on that list, but they swore up and down that they were not lesbians, just curious and anxious as they came to call it. Hearing the sorted details of their escapades, Jenny kept telling herself in her mind that she could never do such a thing but she had to find some part of her that could just so she could maintain her lie. Looking over at the well groomed Chuck Bass, he gave her a wink, which was his way of saying hello but not caring that you're here all wrapped in one. Getting lost in the mystery that was Chuck, she was caught off guard to see the girls turn their attention towards her to hear about her latest hook up. Racking her brain for a suitable suitor that wouldn't cause too much of stir than what she was all ready in , Jenny looked back over at Chuck to see him talking with Nate and every other popular guy in school before she finally made her selection.

**The youth is starting to change**

**Are you starting to change?**

**Are you?**

**Together**

_["We hide behind our labels and money because….we can. We constantly are faced with choices and decisions, and we have no qualms with making the wrong one because we can buy our way out of it. Having a conscience or having regret doesn't exist….you chalk it up to your dirty little secret that you hope no one will ever find out about…."]_

With her newest Coach purse draped on her arm, she walked the halls proudly with her mini army following behind her. She appeared to be regal and in command, which for the most part she was but glancing over at Dan and Serena together made her a bit weary as to what they were talking about. He had become her latest regret, but she didn't want Serena to know…she couldn't have Serena learn of their indiscretion nor the Upper Eastside in general. Tearing her eyes away from the couple, she had hoped that he would keep his mouth shut and keep things the way they were for the sake of the social structure. Feeling a hand come to the small of her back, she looked over to her side to see Nate beside her. It had been a while since she had felt his touch, and for a second she had forgotten completely what it was like to have his touch up against her. Pulling her close to him as they walked the halls, it was like he was seriously trying to make her his girl without even getting her consent. She didn't know if she liked this or was turned on at this point since the two were beginning to blend. Getting a quick glimpse over at the courtyard, she could see Chuck make his way over towards Jenny, and she would immediately be thinking of Jenny's punishment for not falling in line but it was who she was starting to be associated with more frequently that caused her pause.

** In a couple of years**

** Tides have turned from booze to tears**

** And in spite of the weather**

** We could learn to make it together**

_["Change is something we're use to, I mean change is a theme in the Upper Eastside. One moment you could be living the good life down at the Plaza hotel, then be forced to move your Gucci to a Best Western. Change is something that can happen at anytime, and you have to adapt to it…but most of all you have to be able to hide it well, so that no one can pick up the fact that in your own personal life your not on balance as you appear to be. I guess you could really good say that we're actors, I mean we portray ourselves in the right way to where we want people to envy us or be sympathetic when we cry, we just want people to think that we are who we say we are…."]_

Feeling her lips pressed up against the side of his neck, he should be feeling happy in both senses of the word, but the secret that plagues him causes him to take her touch lightly. He wants so badly to tell her so that he can remain true to himself, but he can't risk the house of cards all crumbling down on him. Nothing had been said between Blair and him, and he wasn't sure if he wanted anything to be said out of pure confusion. He found himself confused about his confusion, and he knew if he wanted to keep Serena then he would have to clear in some form. Looking on at the dream girl he had fantasized about every since a fifth grade birthday party, he looked on as if he was trying to hold her in a memory bank in his brain that hoped that he would never forget what it felt like to have the dream girl, the it-girl. Although he wanted to be in this moment with her, his guilt steady came back. Capturing his lips, he got lost in her and felt as if he would spend this time just concentrating on her then slowly but surely he would be able to keep his secret and keep her. Feeling a vibration come from his cell phone, he quickly broke the kiss to pull his cell phone out just as Serena received a message as well. Giving each a quick look as they both knew who it was from, he opened up his screen to see that Gossip Girl had posted an update to a story that he thought was pure rumor until he looked on to see that the rumors were now zeroing in. He had tried to keep up with Gossip Girl, just to say what latest line of garbage she was producing about his relationship with Serena, Dan found his time occupied with work and with school, which left him no time to really read the latest gossip around school. He found it interesting that Jenny was now being inked in the blog, but had assumed that she was a part of Blair's minion army that it was to be expected that they would attack outside in just to get to Blair. Looking on with pure disgust at the latest accusation, he wanted to believe it wasn't true but he felt like he needed to hear it from her mouth. Making his way down the hallway, he was quickly cut off by the sudden appearance of Jenny.

**The youth is starting to change**

**Are you starting to change?**

**Are you?**

**Together**

_["So what does this mean Blair?….this seems to be a reflection of yourself through the Upper Eastside" Dr. Han asked a bit confused by her statements_

_"I don't know" Blair replied getting pulled out of her reverie "I just know that I can't be that person. I need to be something different that I feel something in my soul trying to break free to be something more. I need to reinvent myself. I'm owning my mistakes and moving past them to become the me that I want to be " she told him_

_"And why do you feel that's necessary?" Dr. Han asked_

_"Because I need to take control of my life" Blair told him as she looked him dead in the eye...]_

Grabbing his sister's arm, Dan lead her into an empty classroom before closing the door behind them. Peaking out the window, he could see other classmates looking on at the text message in total disbelief. Letting out a few huffs as she just hated the fact that Dan treated her like she was a child, Jenny began to rack her brain of how she was going to explain this to her brother all while trying to remain in control of her own personal life. In the back of her mind she knew that this was a step that she had to take if she was ever going to prove herself at this school, she just hoped that a part of Dan would understand and that he wouldn't go run to their father. Pacing the floor, he ran his hand through his hair as he just tried to hide his frustration but appear to be open to his sister.

"Okay. Help me understand this logic. Help me understand or make me see that this rumor is just that, a rumor?" Dan asked "Because I'm thinking that I'm over reacting" he said

"Which you are" Jenny quickly replied

"But its Chuck?" Dan replied unable to hide the frustration in his voice

"And?" Jenny asked trying to understand the harm in it

"It's Chuck Bass. As in womanizer, as in creep, as in ass, as in scum of the earth.." Dan complained before she interrupted

"I get the point!" Jenny spouted out in annoyance "This isn't as bad as you think" she then said

"So its true?" Dan then asked

"Yes, in not so many unsettling words" Jenny said

"Are you being serious right now? I mean you have to be joking. Chuck and you. You and Chuck?" Dan questioned

"No. I'm not joking" Jenny replied "And do you have to act like it's so hard to believe that someone might like Chuck?" she asked

"Yes!" Dan yelled as he just looked at her like she was crazed and out of her "Is this some sort of lash out at dad and me….I mean is this your way of proving a point?" he asked

"No, Dan…this isn't my way of proving a point. This is my way of saying that you can't control me" Jenny said

"Oh, but I think dad can. Your not just going to date or hook up with any guy" Dan replied

"Wow, so you believe it?" Jenny asked

"No. I don't believe that you hooked up with Chuck Bass. I know you better than that…this is clearly a stunt in which your trying to prove something" Dan said

"Oh my God! Would you stop saying that?" Jenny replied

"I'm not going to because what your doing is stupid. How your acting is stupid. Everything your doing is stupid" Dan told her

"Well we all can't be the model citizen like Dan Humphrey" Jenny said

"So I'm the blame now?….your just all over the place with the blame now" Dan laughed to himself

"Well you are, it's your fault mom left and if mom was here then she'd understand what I'm dealing with" Jenny reasoned

"Of course its my fault" Dan laughed to himself in disbelief "Lets just simply forget the fact that mom pretty much left us beforehand and that this time I just gave her the reason she needed to leave" he said

"Only because you were so rude to her. This is her home Dan, this is where she should be" Jenny said

"And I agree, but we can't make someone stay that doesn't want to stay" Dan told her

"That's a load of crap and you know it. Mom wanted to be here but you and dad shut her out. You two are tearing this family apart, not mom" Jenny said

"If that's what you need to tell yourself in order to make it plausible that a mother just voluntarily stays away from her kids and her husband" Dan said

"It's what I know" Jenny said "You tore this family apart" she said

"Go ahead, keep saying it. Keep saying it until your blue in the face" Dan said egging her on, which only made Jenny even more upset at her brother's lack of respect for her feeling

"If dad wasn't such a loser than she'd be back!" Jenny said before Dan just glared at her with disbelief. A moment passed between them as he just tried to calm himself down but he just couldn't seem to stop himself from harnessing his anger

"No, if mom wasn't out banging her neighbor then we'd be a family?" Dan fired back "Look, I get that your mad at the world, but get your facts straight before she start calling people losers. The loser in this situation is mom because she wasn't a wife and she damn sure wasn't a mother to us. She's cheated on dad, and still is cheating on dad " he said angrily as Jenny stood in shock

"Your lying" Jenny replied

"Ask her" Dan said "Ask her about David. Ask her about Joseph for that matter" he said

"Your lying!" Jenny screamed as tears welled up in her eyes

"Our family is screwed up because she's screwing another man. Dad and I kept that from you because we thought it was best you had this notion that she actually gave a damn about you but we both see that all it took was telling her to go, for her to go….so that goes to show what type of mother she really is" Dan said "

"No. No. Mom wouldn't just leave us like that for another guy" Jenny shook her head as she tried to reason

"Newflash, she did" Dan told her "End this little stunt with Chuck or else I will. You want to start a rumor, then start that doesn't make you look bad because Chuck Bass is not good news" he told her sternly

"You don't control me!" Jenny yelled as she threw her book bag over in his direction

"Do I need to talk to him?" Dan asked

"Stay out of this!" Jenny replied

"Do I!" Dan yelled as he just looked on at his sister "End it or so help me God, I will do everything in my power to make sure that dad pulls you out of Constance" he threatened before he kicked her book bag to the side as he headed out of the classroom just as she let out a scream of frustration.

* * *

><p>Ever since her father's departure back to France, Blair found herself all ready missing him as if she hadn't seen him in ages. She had to admit that a part of her was nervous to see her father with his lover, but when she saw how happy he was, then she knew that she could put her reservations to the side for his happiness. Eleanor had seemed to embrace her ex's new life, and even hoped that she could find love once again, which made Blair happy to hear, but she knew that her mother's work would always be her first true love. During Christmas, Blair and Roman had talked extensively about the arts and a new exhibit that she wanted to see, so to her surprise he had sent her tickets to the opening since he knew the company manager that was hosting the event. Thrilled to even have tickets, she thought about bringing someone but a part of her that was embracing this new attitude type of girl just wanted to do this on her own. She had thought time and time again that maybe she should invite Nate since they were talking again, but she didn't want to rush back to old habits when it came to him. They were having dinner tonight, and although she wanted to be excited about hanging out with Nate again, she found herself just going through the motions of what could happen as opposed to what she wanted to happen between them . Making her way down the staircase as she sent Roman a thank you text, she was caught off guard to see Dan coming out the kitchen. Usually this would be normal for her to see him coming out of some part of her home, but since recent events things had been a little awkward between them. She had to act the same, she told herself as she didn't want Humphrey thinking he go the best of her.<p>

"Before you ask, I'm here because your mom is ordering an insane amount of crab cakes…" Dan told her before she interrupted

"She's hosting that charity party. I'm fully aware Humphrey of my mother's business" Blair said as she walked passed him over towards the living room area while all he could do was follow behind

"That's great to know" Dan sighed "I actually wanted to talk to you about something that happened at school today" he mentioned as he randomly just took a seat not realizing that he was sitting right up under her. Looking at each other awkwardly, Dan quickly got up from his seat and sat on the sofa across from her

"Shouldn't you be working? Hence the verb in going to work" Blair asked

"I should, huh? But I having a pressing matter that I kind of need your clarification on" Dan said

"If your talking about Jenny, then no. I had no idea about her scandals, I had my own little stint in the Ostroff to worry about than worry about your kid sister" Blair replied

"I thought you knew everything when it came to people?" Dan asked

"I do, the important things. Not this weeks family drama" Blair replied

"Well I guess I should consider it a good thing that its off your radar" Dan said

"Yes, you can chalk Little J's hanging out with Chuck as the two just passing time" Blair replied sarcastically

"That still doesn't make me feel better" Dan replied as just the thought made him sick before he was torn from his thoughts by the a text that he received from Serena. Knowing that they had a special ring tone for each other like the sickening couple that they were, Blair couldn't help but know that it was Serena that he was texting.

"What is S talking about?" Blair asked as she did her best to hide the fact that she was peeking

"Nothing really, she just wants to hang out and talk" Dan sighed before Blair's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Grabbing the nearest pillow, she began to hit Dan with it in a fit of anger

"Your so stupid. I can't believe your that weak. Stupid. Stupid" Blair said as she kept whacking him with the pillow

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dan asked in confusion

"I'm talking about your blabber mouth" Blair yelled at him as she tossed the pillow to the side and began to pace the floor "This makes sense, this all makes sense. Serena and I didn't have lunch today like we had scheduled. Her text messages are shorter than usual….all because you couldn't leave that repulsive night we had together in the past" she said beginning to freak out

"I didn't tell her" Dan replied as Blair turned to look at him "And for your information, talking can actually be talking about things in general" he told her

"So you kept this from her?" Blair asked wanting to be sure

"Yes, I'm not exactly thrilled at the fact that I cheated on my girlfriend…in one night I became exactly what I hated in my mother" Dan told her

"Whoa! Lets not get this twisted, you kissed me" Blair stated

"Yes, I know. I just figured that after that night that you would go back to being disgusted with me" Dan said

"What makes you think that?" Blair asked

"Because you told me that you were disgusted with me the other day" Dan told her

"Well its not like I meant it" Blair replied

"What was it just foreplay then?" Dan asked as she threw a pillow at him

"I'm not playing Humphrey, Serena can't know about that night. Hell I'm not even sure I want to know about that night" Blair said

"Relax, I have no intention telling her" Dan said

"Part of me is happy to hear that, then another part of me is really thinking that your not suited for my best friend" Blair said as he just rolled his eyes at her

"Look, what happened that night was us just being in the moment. It was…it was….." Dan said trying to find the right words

"It was unique" Blair said just throwing a word out there for him

"But the fact remains the same, you and I are like oil and vinegar" Dan told her

"Democrats and Republicans" Blair joined in

"Cesium and water" Dan said as Blair just looked at him strangely

"I have chemistry test" Dan quickly replied "Point is that we don't go together" he reinforced

"Finally we agree on something" Blair smiled happily in their united front

"Yes, we do. So we can just go back to our usual banter, and semi dislike of each other" Dan proposed

"Oh, I'm all ready there. I'm seeing many things I could call you out on" Blair said

"Why do you look like your going out?" Dan asked as he noticed that she had her pearl necklace on, and the only time she wore her pearls is when she was going out he quickly picked up on with his time there

"That's because I am" Blair replied "Nate and I are going out to dinner" she said

"Nate and you? I thought you were past that" Dan asked

"I never said I was past it. I'm not eager to be back on the train that will always have pit stop in Serena land, but I was never past him" Blair said

"You said you were past him?….I just don't understand how you keep giving this guy chance after chance" Dan questioned

"Because he is my friend as well as my long time love" Blair told him

"But you and I both know that when Nate starts coming around he wants more than just friendship" Dan said "Guys hanging out alone with girls is code for I hope we hook up" he told her

"Now you know guy code, said the boy who couldn't get a clue that Serena was trying to sleep with him" Blair laughed to herself "This is rich" she laughed

"I know it well enough to know that there is a cycle between Nate and you. The constant worry of if he's thinking about Serena, the usual fight, then the break up, then the weeks of freedom that leads back to you getting back together with him" Dan said

"It's scary that your observing me like that" Blair replied as she just looked at him with confusion "And I don't know if I want to get back together. We're just two friends hanging out and if other things transpire then I'll deal with it then…why do feel like I'm explaining myself to you?" she then said

"Because even when you say it out loud it sounds like a cycle that just needs to stop" Dan said

"Okay, this conversation is over" Blair said as she got up from her seat to head over to the coat rack while Dan followed behind

"He doesn't even seem like the committed type" Dan pointed out

"And like you are?" Blair pointed out

"Okay, off of recent events no, but I don't use people in hopes of someone else" Dan told her

"That's great to hear" Blair replied sarcastically

"Is it like fast food dinner or sit down dinner?" Dan asked as she looked herself over in the mirror

"Why do you care?" Blair asked

"Because I care" Dan quickly replied as she just looked at him strangely

"Humphrey you should really get back to work" Blair told him just as the elevator doors opened to show Nate

"Oh, hey" Nate smiled as he was surprised to see Blair and Dan together

"Hi" Blair said pleasantly "You ready?" she then asked

"Where are you two off to?" Dan quickly asked as she looked at him to wonder what he was doing

"Just dinner" Nate smiled "How was your Christmas break?" he then asked

"Uh, it was…nothing big. Just gifts" Dan replied

"How exciting" Blair said sarcastically as she put her coat on "Let's go" she told Nate as she hit the elevator button

"What'd you do?" Dan quickly asked

"Humphrey! Its Christmas, what do you think he did?" Blair snapped at him which only made Nate laugh

"I went to Aspen with the folks" Nate laughed as Dan couldn't help but think that the destination seemed familiar.

"Aspen" Dan said as he tried to rack his brain on trying to remember where he heard that destination from

"And to that, we're leaving" Blair said as she lead Nate onto the elevator then hit the button for the doors to close quickly. Turning to look on at the two leaving, Dan couldn't shake a puzzled feeling that he had while Blair kept hitting the close button on the elevator doors so she wouldn't have to see Dan's face anymore

* * *

><p>Getting on to the elevator, Jenny anxiously hit the button for the elevator doors to close. After her fight with Dan at school, she couldn't shake what he had told her about their mother. So much of her wanted to believe that he was lying but the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize that it did make sense. When she was little her mother had ventured into the secretarial position for a while just so she could help out with the bills since her dad got a gig playing at the bar and working the bar, but she had always worked so late that it just felt like even though she had a mother, she was never there. Her mother and father had argued a lot but it seemed to get better when she quit her job. Her parents had tried to repair their marriage when she picked up painting, and her dad rented out a gallery to showcase it but over time that just started to fade for them, when her mother really got into her art. More and more, Jenny started to piece together the little details that she remembered growing up and the more she became sickened. Able to convince her dad that she was staying an hour longer at school to study, Jenny made a quick bee line to Chuck's so that she could talk with him. Chuck wasn't exactly someone that she could talk about her personal life with but his demeanor helped her realize that problems only effect you when you let it, it was a typical guy approach but it worked for her. Once the elevator doors opened up to the penthouse, she was immediately greeted by a blond haired boy.<p>

"You must be Jenny" The boy smiled at her

"Yes, is Chuck inside?" Jenny asked

"Yes, he's actually finishing up a meeting. I'm Joel by the way, Joel Stein" Joel introduced himself as he shook her hand

"He's never mentioned you before" Jenny replied

"That's because I'm near and dear to him" Joel joked "I'm his business partner" he then said

"He's barely seventeen and he has a business partner" Jenny said in disbelief

"Nothing is as it seems at certain ages" Joel smiled as he looked in on Chuck finishing up his meeting "Well he's just about done, but I hope to see you again" he smiled just as Chuck escorted his guests out towards the elevators, making sure to give them the charming smile before the elevator doors closed

"Ass!" Chuck said angrily

"Told you Smith was quite the prick" Joel laughed to himself as he played with his pocket watch "We'll just have to find investment elsewhere, but the clock is ticking" he said as he made his way over to the elevator

"I got it, I got it. Just make sure Bart knows nothing about this" Chuck told him

"I'm in no mood to tangle with the great Bart" Joel said as he got on to the elevator "I'll be back" he said with a little wink before the doors closed on him

"Were you busy?" Jenny asked as she followed behind Chuck into the penthouse before she realized how gorgeous his penthouse was

"I'm always busy" Chuck groaned as he began to pour himself a drink at the bar

"Isn't it a little early?" Jenny asked

"It's five o' clock, I'm late" Chuck said before he took a gulp of vodka "So tell me about your sudden interests in making us bed mates?" he asked as he grabbed the bottle and headed towards his desk to take a seat while she followed

"Sorry about that" Jenny apologized "I was talking to Katy and Isobel, they were talking about their weekends, then they asked who and I looked over to see you and then I just blurted your name out" she said

"Mistake number one, never tell Katy and Is anything you don't want the public to know" Chuck told her "Mistake number two, you've now placed me in a situation I don't care to be in…gossip, I find it entertaining but I grow tired of it" he said

"So what do I do?" Jenny asked

"Find another loser" Chuck said

"Just like that. I can't just make up people that I've supposedly hooked up with and expect people to believe it. Dan didn't even believe that we actually hooked up" Jenny said as Chuck's ears nearly perked up to hear Dan's name

"Humpty Humphrey knows nothing" Chuck replied

"Yeah, well he's a sucker for gossip, and he doesn't buy into me and you then I'm doomed with anyone else" Jenny sighed "Maybe I should drop this whole lie, I mean its only made me the school whore" she said

"Calling yourself a whore would be about right, if you actually were the whore you speak of" Chuck said

"Thanks, I guess" Jenny replied unsure if that was a compliment or insult

"Just how much did you tell them?" Chuck asked

"Just that we've hooked up over the past weekend. It was great and all that unnecessary info I don't really care to share with you" Jenny said

"How nice of you to be PG right now" Chuck said sarcastically "I guess I can spare my good and tainted name to help, but sooner or later you'll have to pay up" he said

"Pay up how?" Jenny asked as Chuck got out of his seat to make his way over towards her

"To do the real thing" Chuck told her as he looked her dead in the eyes

"It was just a rumor though" Jenny replied

"And its my name that's now in it" Chuck said as he leaned up against his desk so that he was in front of her. Leaning forward, he took his hand to lightly push the strap of her blouse down to show the bareness of her shoulder "I'm going to need some sort of compensation" he said

"I'm still a virgin" Jenny replied softly

"In due time" Chuck smiled at her as he became fascinated with the touch of her skin "I mean it would be a business proposition, and trust me…I do know how to close the deal" he said

"I don't think that's the best way to go about fitting in" Jenny said

"Sleeping with Chuck Bass is fitting in until he grows bored of you" Chuck said

"And if you do?" Jenny asked

"Then I guess that's where you keeping me happy comes in to play" Chuck said as she quickly got up from her seat

"Chuck?" Jenny replied

"Think about it" Chuck said turning to walk back to his seat "You owe me" he told her

"Okay, I owe you like a coffee on me or lunch at fast food restaurant….but sex, that's not an owe you situation" Jenny said as Chuck took a moment to study her

"That right there proves that your not ready" Chuck told her

"I could have told you that" Jenny said

"Then when will you be?" Chuck laughed to himself in disbelief "You want to play this role but you yourself are not ready to take it to the next level. This world is ruthless, this world you have to be willing to bluff yourself into a situation that you may not even think you can handle but you do so in order to prove that you mean what you say" he said "You'd be quick work Jenny Humphrey, so quick that you'll be an after thought quicker than a thought" he then added

"I don't want it to the point where I have to sleep with you" Jenny replied

"It's just sex" Chuck replied as Jenny just looked at him like she was a scared little girl pretending to be a woman before a moment passed between them "Have you ever heard of a poet called Robert Herrick?" he asked her

"I'm not that into poetry" Jenny replied as Chuck sighed

"Then be not coy, but use your time. And while ye may; go marry. For having lost but once your prime. You may forever tarry" Chuck recited to her "That was probably one of the most famous carpe diem's poems, but Herrick specifically addresses this to girls because they spend so much time waiting and waiting for that perfect moment to give up their most prized possession, when in all actuality, there is no perfect moment. Perfection doesn't exist, and yet women wait for it. Live in the moment, enjoy life's pleasure" he told her as she sat in deep contemplation "I need a proper drink, lock up when you leave" he said before he turned to leave the penthouse

* * *

><p>Breaking away from her embrace of him, Dan got up from the bed that contained the blonde to head over to his desk. Hearing her groans of his sudden absence, he just laughed to himself as he never thought the day would come of Serena van der Woodsen growing impatient of his absence. Reaching over to grab her phone, she checked her usual messages since she had spent the past two hours with Dan trying to exclude herself from the Upper Eastside for at least the next few hours. Logging on to the computer, the ads on the internet quickly caught his attention. His mother had done her stints with the arts, and even now she claims to be an artist but while she was still in town she would take Dan and Jenny to a few exhibits. Looking on at the La Rouge exhibit, he couldn't help but be intrigued by it and wonder what it had to offer. Glancing back to see Serena still sprawled out in the bed after checking her messages.<p>

"There's this art exhibit that's opening tomorrow night. You want to go, make a date out of it?" Dan asked

"Uh, dinner sounds good but the art is the thing that loses me" Serena laughed

"You go to gallery functions?" Dan asked

"And each time I go, I always end up bored" Serena laughed

"You take the girl to the gallery and she doesn't learn a thing" Dan laughed to himself

"Ask Carter to go with you, he dabbles with the arts…his parents are big art buffs, they might even get you tickets" Serena said

"No, I think I can swing the tickets since my girlfriend won't be attending with me" Dan said "But Carter might actually go" he said

"There you go, your date to the exhibit has been revealed" Serena smiled as she crawled down to the end of the bed "So what to eat?" she then asked

"Uh, we can have pizza or we can order Chinese…take your pick" Dan said as he reached over to grab the menu's

"You keep menus in your room?" Serena asked noticing the little stack he had going on

"I like to eat" Dan smiled "So what's it going to be?" he then asked

"Chinese sounds good. Order extra fortune cookies, and chow mein" Serena told him

"Will do" Dan smiled "So, uh….I was at the Waldorfs and Nate came by to pick up Blair for dinner" he mentioned

"Nate and Blair have been spending a lot of time together again. I'm so happy for them" Serena smiled

"Yeah, I would be as well but I just feel like Nate just keeps showing up out of the blue. I told her they just go through this cycle that is getting quite stupid now" Dan said

"Why would you say that?" Serena asked as she hit him on the shoulder

"Because it's the truth. Nate and Blair were once the king and queen as she may see it, but now their that couple you wish would get the clue that they don't work" Dan replied

"I differ with you completely" Serena said "Nate and Blair are made for each other. They were always supposed to be together ever since we were kids" she said

"When you were kids, but now its completely different" Dan said

"Everything is still the same between them. When I talked to Nate, I could tell that he still loved her" Serena said

"When did you talk to Nate?" Dan asked

"Over Christmas break, he was in Aspen the same time I was" Serena said as Dan just looked at her "Why?" she asked

"I knew that's why Aspen sounded so familiar" Dan declared "So what? You two just decided to talk about love lost?" he asked

"As a matter of fact, we did. Look Nate loves Blair" Serena said

"But is in love with you" Dan pointed out

"No, he's not. He thinks he is, but he just needs to realize that Blair is the one he's supposed to be with" Serena reasoned

"You know what it actually feels like, it feels like your purposely trying to put them back together so you won't have deal with him, deal with the fact that he's in love with you" Dan said

"So you think I'm trying to avoid Nate?" Serena asked

"It makes sense. I mean you keep sending him back to Blair, when its obvious that he's into you" Dan said

"I can't believe we're honestly talking about this" Serena laughed to herself in disbelief

"Then why didn't you tell me that you two were in Aspen? I mean the few times that we talked over Christmas break…you never once mentioned he was there" Dan said

"I didn't feel I needed to" Serena said

"It is when the first time that we ever went out I caught you two kissing" Dan said

"Look, Nate is a friend. He's one of my best friends" Serena said

"I just get this feeling like no matter how close I try to get to you, that he'll always know the real you…its like he'll always see the side of you that I have yet to see" Dan said

"Maybe" Serena replied "I've known him a long time, and there are just some secrets that I'm not ready yet to tell you" she said

"When will you be?" Dan asked "How long do I have to wait before I get to see the real you?" he asked her

* * *

><p><strong>You're so hypnotizing<strong>

**Could you be the devil**

**Could you be an angel**

**Your touch magnetizing**

**Feels like I am floating**

**Leaves my body glowing**

**They say be afraid**

**You're not like the others**

**Futuristic lover**

**Different DNA**

**They don't understand you**

**Your from a whole other world**

**A different dimension**

**You open my eyes**

**And I'm ready to go**

**Lead me into the light**

Going out with Nate had always had some bit of pleasure for Blair because she was in fact in love with him. Most of the time he'd make small talk and talk about things with his family, which she was interested in seeing as he was always open when it came to his family, but most of the time she spent the time just dazing at him. The more she looked at him, the more she realized that he really could be an Abercrombie and Fitch model because every little detail about him just screamed unnecessary perfection. She used to love those unnecessary things about him, but it just seemed to be the focus now whenever she looked at him. He hadn't really known too much about her recent confession to an eating disorder, partly because she still wanted him to think highly of her, but it wasn't something she was ready to tell him yet. Growing more intrigued with the little things other than the conversation, Blair excused herself to the restroom. It was a bit of an accomplishment for her to go to the restroom without attempting to throw up the food she just ate, but this time she found herself going to the restroom just to splash water on her face so that she could stay awake through the rest of this dinner. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was slowly beginning to lose the criticism of herself but still felt the plaguing feeling that she still had to sit through dinner and desert with him. Leaning down to splash some more water on her face she looked up in the mirror to see Dan standing behind her. Quickly turning around in surprise by his appearance, she was left baffled.

"Humphrey, what the hell are you doing here?" Blair asked

"I couldn't do it" Dan said shaking his head

"Do what?" Blair asked as he walked towards her

"I couldn't forget about our night together" Dan said as they were nearly inches away from each other

"You have to…you shouldn't even be here in the first place" Blair replied as she felt her heart racing

"Tell me you don't think about it, tell me you don't think about how amazing it was, tell me those things and I'll leave" Dan said as she tried to find the words that would make him believe her

"I can't do this" Blair said trying to push past him but he had grabbed on to her arms, which only made her push against him even harder. Realizing that she couldn't passed him because he was just to strong, she did her best not to look him in the eye

"You feel this…" Dan said as she just shook her head

"This is wrong. Your wrong. We're wrong" Blair pleaded "I can't stand you" she then added

"And yet you can't get me out of your head" Dan said before he leaned in to kiss her hungrily. Doing her best to stop, Blair found herself drawn in by his lips and his taste. She never thought he could be so addictive but he was something that she just couldn't tear away from. Slowly backing her up to the sink, he leaned down a bit so that he got a full grasp on her butt before lifting her up to put her on the sink.

"We can't" Blair breathed in between kisses as he was nearly devouring her

"Then stop me" Dan told her as he captured her lips once again and hungrily kissed her as if she was his cure.

**Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me**

**Infect me with your love and**

**Fill me with your poison**

**Take me, ta-ta-take me**

**Wanna be a victim**

**Ready for abduction**

**Boy, you're an alien**

**Your touch are foreign**

**It's supernatural**

**Extraterrestrial**

It was no way for a lady to act in such a public area, but she couldn't help herself nor did she want to. Tearing away from her embrace, she felt a sudden need for him like never before it was like she was craving him now that she had a taste of him. Locking the door, he slowly turned back around before relieving himself of his shirt as he headed over in between her legs. Helping her with her shirt, she had taken her shirt up over her head so that her black lacy bra was revealed to him. Enjoying the sight of her bare skin, he kissed her every spot imaginable on her chest as she ran her hands feverishly through his hair just enjoying his lips pressed against her skin. Bringing a hand up, he slid one strap of her bra down before placing light kisses where the outline of her bra strap used to be before getting back to his signature work on her neck. Tugging at the buckle on his pants, she could only imagined how worked up he had gotten because if it was anything like she was feeling, then she knew that they were both about to explode at any moment with desire. Capturing his lips, she pulled his head back as she too wanted to play the game of control with him as she began to nibble on his ear while unzipped his zipper on his pants so that they could drop freely. Leaning down, Blair laid back against the mirror hanging on the wall as sheer amount of pleasure she was gaining by his actions were causing her to release uncontrolled moans that she had hoped wouldn't be heard by any of the customers. Going between her legs, Dan had only seen this in his one time look of porn but once he got his first taste it was like he had done this millions of times before, tasting her with the tip of his tongue, easing his hands up over her tummy to her lovely breasts, which he gently caressed, he used his tongue to pleasure her. Beginning to see that she was beginning to get really excited now; to keep her still, he had to grasp each thigh and hold it down.

**Your so supersonic**

**Wanna feel your powers**

**Stun me with your lasers**

**Your kiss is cosmic**

**Every move is magic**

**Your from a whole other world**

**A different dimension**

**You open my eyes**

**And I'm ready to go**

**Lead me into the light**

Grasping on to both sides of the sink, Dan took a moment to take in the feeling of being inside of her yet again and how it felt fantastic to fill her up. The sensuous pressure, warm, wet and tight, around his hardened member as it sent shivers down his spine. Her head leaned back still as she moaned out in pleasure, Dan covered her mouth with his hand in fear of being interrupted. Moving slowly in and out of her, Dan couldn't grip any tighter to the sink as he did all he could to keep a steady pace so that she could enjoy it as well. Kissing the nape of his neck as she wrapped her legs firmly around his waste, he quickened his pace to the point where she couldn't stay still. Moving her head freely just hoping to release some sort of call of pleasure, Dan was able to capture her lips to where his hand couldn't be. Gaining more speed, he lifted his hand to press up against the wall as her head slid against the wall just trying to hold it in. Having long ,continual orgasms and she did everything she could from not yelling at the top her voice. As she enter her final climax, she felt a tap on her shoulder…

"Miss, are you okay?" The woman asked as Blair felt the beads of sweat trickling on her head as Blair began to realize that she was having a sexual fantasy over the last person she should be thinking about

"Yes" Blair replied in complete embarrassment before she quickly left the restroom and was in desperate need of a drink. Cursing herself all the way over to the bar, she couldn't believe that she allowed Humphrey to get the best of her. It was insane, and it just happened at the weirdest of moments. Requesting her usual cosmopolitan with a splash of vodka, Blair was quickly surprised to see Chuck coming up beside her.

"The lady is on me" Chuck said as he handed over a hundred dollar bill the bartender "Vodka with a bit of lime Smirnoff" he told the bartender before he prepared the drink "What's got you so bothered?" he asked

'I'm not in the mood" Blair quickly replied

"And if you were, then maybe you'd still be with Nathaniel" Chuck replied as the bartender gave them their drinks and he wasted no time in taking a sip. Looking over to see Jenny making her way through the restaurant, she quickly turned back to see Chuck sipping on his drink

"Tell me you haven't?" Blair asked

"Tell you what?" Chuck asked confused

"Jenny Humphrey" Blair replied "That's desperate, even for you" she said

"I haven't…yet anyway" Chuck replied "But in due time" he said as he swirled his drink

"Okay, before I just chalked your infatuation with little J as a way to stick it to Dan, but surely the thrill has left from that standpoint…why are you so bent on Jenny?" Blair asked

"You ask too many questions" Chuck replied

"Only because I know you, and I know the sick games that you like to play" Blair replied

"You used to play them. You used to play them so well" Chuck grinned

"Yeah, well I've learned my lesson from the last game we all decided to play" Blair replied "Clearly you haven't" she told him

"We were young and stupid. Now, I'm older and bored" Chuck said

"I can understand corrupting the less fortunate but your playing a game with someone that in the end will have very little pay off for you, go after the headmasters daughter or something" Blair suggested

"The Queen Bee suggesting another sacrificial lamb" Chuck laughed to himself "Dan must be getting to you, don't tell me you feel loyalty to him now that Serena is banging him?" he asked

"I have no loyalties to Humphrey, but at least go after something with a better pay off…what's the point of the game if there is no pay off" Blair said

"Because this game is personal. This one, has a much bigger pay off than you'll ever know" Chuck replied before he downed the drink

"Chuck, seriously? Go after someone else, she's not worth the time and energy" Blair told him in hopes that he'd understand

"But she is…but she is" Chuck said before he got up from his seat "Do you need any condoms for the night or will you be sleeping alone tonight?" he asked

"Then again, the big payoff for me will be when Dan punches that smug smile off your face" Blair smiled "If things go too far, stop it, but your playing a game that you won't win Chuck" she told him

"I'll take my chances" Chuck replied "I happen to enjoy corrupting the youth" he then said

"Well don't say you haven't been warned. Last time it was a collective mistake, but now…this will be on you" Blair said before she finished her drink then headed back to the table where Nate sat

* * *

><p>Sitting back in his fold up chair, Dan propped the golf club up against his shoulder as he looked on at Carter size up his shot. Though he had considered most of the kids from the Upper Eastside, Dan had really come to enjoy his friendship with Carter. He wasn't the typical trust fund kid because he liked to believe that he was going to be a champion of the people someday, and travel to all the poverty stricken nations to come up with some sort of financial structure as he came to call it. Taking in the day with a couple rounds of golf, Dan was starting to see that Blair was right that he was definitely enjoying the life of the rich and privileged through his connections. Although he was finding his game of golf relaxing, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with guilt and confusion towards everything that was going on with his personal life. Jenny wasn't necessarily a sound person for him to talk to about his problems now, so his only option now was Carter. Celebrating his excellent drive, Carter ran over to the golf cart as Dan folded up his chair and headed over to take a seat in the cart.<p>

"I do love a good round of golf" Carter laughed

"Clearly" Dan replied "For someone who hates the life of the rich, you bask in it often and frequently" he said

"It's golf. I love golf, I love the feel of being out on the course" Carter told him "And by the way, I have to pass on the La Rouge…in fear of boredom" he said

"We're just in a big grassy knoll" Dan laughed "I hardly call this great scenery" he said

"You're a buzz kill Daniel" Carter replied as a moment of silence came between them as they drove to the next hole

"So…uh…I kind of have to tell you something, something that may play into something that you said earlier" Dan told him

"Is this a me right situation because I like those instances?" Carter asked

"Possibly" Dan said as he turned to look at Carter

"Okay, lay it on me. I'm prepared for all the possible situations" Carter replied

"I slept with Blair" Dan revealed as Carter nearly lost control of the cart before coming to a complete stop

"What!" Carter said in disbelief "How do you sleep with Blair Waldorf?" he asked

"I think that part is pretty self explanatory" Dan muttered

"But how do you sleep with Blair of all people?" Carter asked "She hates you. You hate her" he stated

"Okay, now your being extreme" Dan reasoned

"Because that's what extreme is, you and Waldorf" Carter said "Just the fact that your lips touched and then…oh, God" he replied

"Are we going to talk about this or are you still going to freak out?" Dan asked

"Hold on…" Carter said before he kept shaking out the images of Dan and Blair out of his head "Okay, I'm done" he said

"I really can't say how it happened, it was just…there was a moment" Dan tried to explain

"How though?" Carter asked

"Because there was this moment. A moment where it was just us and it just felt like we were connected on a level that we've never been. I mean she has this side to her that is just….its breathtaking" Dan said

"Are you being serious right now? Breathtaking?" Carter asked

"Yes" Dan replied

"So in this breathtaking moment, you just decided to have sex?" Carter asked

"Not quite…it was just things lead to another" Dan said "It was like we were kissing and then it lead to…." he said before Carter

"I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know" Carter quickly replied "All I want to know is what do you intend to do with your girlfriend?" he asked

"I don't know" Dan replied "I mean I feel guilty for cheating, but at the same time I don't" he said

"Hence the me being right scenario" Carter said "The Serena appeal is waning on you" he said

"It's not that, but with Serena it's like I constantly have to pull teeth just to get something out of her in regards to who she really is. Then Nate is always a constant factor in our relationship because it's like she doesn't like him, but she keeps him at bay just enough for him to linger" Dan told him

"Okay all plausible reasons, but Dan…you cheated" Carter said "And on top of that you don't feel any guilt for it…it's like you've officially morphed into Humphrey" he said

"I just feel like with Blair, I know what I'm getting. The banter, the bickering, the annoying aspect. Then there is a side of her that is open, vulnerable, deep, there's a trust there that I can't even begin to understand where it came from" Dan said

"So basically your with Serena, but you have the relationship with Blair" Carter concluded

"Exactly!" Dan declared "I care about Serena, she's been the girl of my dreams since I can remember, but I want her…I want all of her, and I just feel like she's not giving me that" he said "But this thing with Blair, I can't…I can't explain it. As much as I want it to stop, a part of me doesn't want it to" he said

"I don't envy this situation…well maybe with two completely different girls, but I don't envy you" Carter said "I can't tell you what to do, but be careful because girls chit chat…they created phones for them to chit chat. The dude that created the phones had a wife and she told him that I would like to have some sort of device so I could chit chat with the woman next door to us, so he got tired of her chit chatting with him so he created the phone" he said as Dan just laughed

"That's not how it went, but I understand" Dan replied "But Blair and I both agreed to forget about that night, and just keep it between us" he said

"Can you do that?…can you forget that night?" Carter asked

"I don't know" Dan replied as Carter just looked at him

"Your just a whole new man now. I mean your literally a man now" Carter laughed as he got out of the cart "Can you just say how it was? I mean you two devirginized each other" he joked as he took a few practice swings with his club

"I'm not talking about that" Dan replied

"C'mon on, that's the stuff your supposed to give up, not the feelings aspect of it" Carter replied

"I'm not telling you" Dan laughed

"Okay, well nod once if it was great. Then nod twice if it was decent" Carter told him

"I'm not going to nod" Dan laughed as Carter chased him with his golf club

* * *

><p>She hadn't really been over to the Waldorf penthouse too much but the few times that she had come over, she still found herself in awe of how they lived. On her way to the market, to pick up some stuff for the house because her dad saw it as punishment, while on her way to the market she got the call from Blair to come over. The whole ride over in the taxi, she kept running through her mind what Blair could want from her so early on in the day. Since the rumors, she hadn't really gotten a gage on what Blair thought about her recent development. Taking her seat on the sofa to await her arrival, Jenny couldn't help but see the reasons why Dan loved working her so much. The staff was beyond tentative, and nice to her just for her even waiting. She hoped that she wouldn't run into Dan since she knew he had come in to work on Saturdays because of Eleanor's work load picking up with the new line. They hadn't really left things on a good note between each other, so to have an awkward run in would be the last thing that she needed at this point. Coming down the staircase as if she were a Queen of the Nile, Blair made her way over to join Jenny in the living room.<p>

"I bet your wondering why I called you" Blair said as Jenny just sat in awe still

"Yes" Jenny replied "I mean usually if you call its for a task, but to visit…you really don't fraternize with us, so it is surprising" she said

"I wouldn't go that far, but yes, I do like to keep my distance with some of the girls" Blair replied "But it is for good reason" she stated

"So I'm guessing by school rumors that has lead to me being summoned" Jenny stated

"Yes, rumors are something I don't really care for seeing as my group of friends are the targets of them. I think you know that our mistakes are well publicized on Gossip Girl, but a lot of what happens to us is something of our own making. No one wants to be talked about, regardless of what you may think of this world because the problem with that is that people grow tired of you" Blair told her. Coming out of the dining area with his clipboard, he could quickly pick up Jenny's voice coming from the living room and he wanted to head out to see why she was there but when he heard Blair, he began to wonder just what was going on.

"I completely understand that" Jenny replied

"Good, then you'll understand this…I think we've run our course" Blair told her as Jenny looked at her with shock

"What? What do you mean we've run our course?" Jenny asked in disbelief

"Just as I said it. With all of this attention that is coming to you, as one of the girls of the steps, I can't in a clear conscience allow the group to effected by this" Blair said

"Katy and Isobel are far worse than I am" Jenny stated

"Yes, and what works for them is the fact that they're trust fund kids, which your not" Blair said as Dan couldn't help but think that was another shot at them being poor in her mind as he listened in on the conversation

"So if I was rich then this wouldn't be happening?" Jenny asked

"Not to sound superficial, but yes. Look, along with being part of a group such as the girls of the steps, is that there is a certain way you must carry yourself. Giving the public free access to your personal life is a recipe for disaster and I'm afraid that will be something that you will regret in the long run" Blair said

"I just…the rumors, they're not true. I was just trying to be relevant" Jenny said "Look, things at home are pretty crappy, and school is the only thing I look forward to…I like hanging out with the rest of the girls and being a part of something" she pleaded with Blair as Dan couldn't help but feel for his sister but was a little happy that she was getting booted out of her fantasy world

"And I'm sorry that you won't experience the pleasures of being associated with the group, but your what we call a liability" Blair told her

"But the rumors aren't true" Jenny said "I made them up or at least someone made them up and I just confirmed it to have people talk" she said

"So you were hoping for the Kardashian and Hilton effect, where your hoping some raunchy act will be the pathway to fame….the only way that will work is if you have a big ass or spout off stupid phrases that some idiot finds cool enough to repeat to other idiots" Blair told her

"I just need a chance" Jenny pleaded

"Jenny, being popular is a job. It's hard work to get in, and its even harder worker to stay in. So while you plot and scheme to get in, just know that there are other girls who are doing the same thing to get you" Blair told her

"I don't have any friends. Eric is being weird, and he's pretty much it…I'll do anything to make this right, and prove that I can be the girl you expect" Jenny told her

"Don't be the girl I expect then" Blair told her as she rose to her feet. Knowing that Jenny was taking this hard, Dan couldn't help but feel grateful to Blair. Even though she would never admit this, Dan saw Blair's dismissing of Jenny as a way to protect her from what the effects of rumors could have on a person like her "Now if you will graciously leave, I have to get ready for an event" she said showing Jenny over to the elevator. The walk over felt like a mile in which Jenny just wondered what she could do or say to make Blair see that she wanted to do anything possible to make things right with her, but as the elevator doors closed on her, so did her opportunity. Making her way through the lobby, she felt as if she was a ghost of the former girl that walked through the halls like she was royalty to now being downsized to the role of the girl looking in once again. Quickly making her way out into the courtyard of the building, Jenny fought back the tears that were coming to her. In that moment she wanted to just cry until it was literally impossible for her to shed a tear again, just as she grew more weary of her chances, she quickly pulled her cell phone out and in an instant she knew there was only one way to regain the power or at least get some of it back in a different way. Sending the confirmation off to the only person she knew that could help her, she knew she was signing her soul away but she wanted it so badly that living in the moment was something she had to embrace and regret later.

With a glass of vodka in his hand, Chuck sat in his chair looking out at the skyscrapers that New York had to offer. Sitting in his office, he couldn't help but feel a connection to his father and the power he felt when sitting on his throne. With the city being his playground, Chuck knew that if he were ever to be like his father then he'd have to be the same ruthless son of a bitch that Bart Bass had come to be known as. Hearing the vibration from his cell phone, Chuck turned around slowly to pick up his phone to see that he had received a text message from Jenny. Entering into the office with his briefcase in hand, Joel knew that it was going to be another long night of numbers crunching just to get a deal approved that met the standards of Bart. Noticing the devilish grin on Chuck's face, Joel knew him well enough to know that he was relishing a small victory.

"What's with the stupid grin?" Joel asked as he sorted through his paperwork

"This grin is me being happy, happy that in due time I will have destroyed the daughter of the very woman that destroyed my family" Chuck told him

"So Jenny took the bait?" Joel laughed "I never thought she'd be that kind of girl" he said

"It's always the quiet ones" Chuck laughed

"I thought you got over what happened" Joel said "I mean its not like your mother was an actual mother to you" he pointed out

"I have my reasons, but I can tell you that revenge will be so sweet" Chuck said as he picked he poured another glass of vodka for Joel to drink in his toast

"Vodka this early, must be a hell of a revenge" Joel smiled as he looked on at the crystal glass "To Joseph" he raised his glass

"To Joseph" Chuck smiled

* * *

><p><strong>You looked my way and said "you frustrate me"<strong>

** Like you're thinking of lines and times **

**When you and I were you and me **

**We took our chance out on the street **

**Then I missed my chance **

**And chances are it won't be coming back to me **

The cool water ran down his back as he leaned forward to take in more of the heat of the water. Reaching for the bottle of shampoo, he lathered up the soapy contents before working it into his hair. Putting the bottle back, he then reached for the soap to finish up as he knew that time would be an issue soon. Letting the heat of the water massage the tension he had in his body soon fade away. Stepping out of shower, he quickly grabbed his towel and began to dry himself off before he headed over to the mirror. Shaving his unnecessary facial hair, Dan started to feel as if he was becoming a new man that actually cared about grooming. He'd never credit Blair's insults, but he had mostly started to realize that he appeared actually made a difference in a world like that. After he finished shaving, he head over to his closet and began to look over what suit he could possibly wear.

**Why can't I ignore it? **

**I keep giving in, but I should know better **

**'Cause there was something **

**'bout the way you looked at me**

** And it strange that things change **

**But not me wanting you-**

**So desperately **

**So desperately **

Zipping her up from the back of her dress, Dorota looked on proudly at the brunette and couldn't help but think that she had new spirit about herself. Turning to grab her purse to put her final items in, Blair rolled her eyes as she saw that sappy look on Dorota's face. Dorota of all people knew Blair well enough to know that something was different about her, but Blair hadn't allowed herself to be around her trusty maid in fear that she'd get figured out. Making her way down the staircase, she looked on at the time to realize she had made it in just amount of time to arrive for the walk through of the exhibit. Grabbing her coat from the closet, Dorota quickly put it on Blair, who was more than eager to get out. The elevator doors couldn't open up quick enough for her as she was just eager to enjoy a night of art and just simply putting everything that was the Upper Eastside out of her head. Getting in the town car that awaited her arrival, she was glad to finally be off after thinking that she might be late.

**I keep giving in but I should know better**

** I keep giving in but I should know better **

**So desperately **

**I want you so desperately **

Making her way to the most eye catching piece of the whole exhibit, Blair couldn't help but stare on at the textures and the colors used. She had always prided herself on the details of fashion, but as she saw how important the details are to art, she couldn't help but realize how in tune she felt with each of the pieces she saw. This piece in particular got to her because in some odd way she felt like it spoke to her on a deeper level. The canvas had been painted black, but amidst the darkness she could see the colors that the artist was trying to show. It helped her realize that through the darkness there can be bright spots, spots where you would never expect them to be. Going through the crowd of people, Dan couldn't help but notice a certain piece of artwork that he had yet to see. Checking his brochure once again to make sure that he hadn't missed a piece or if he had all ready seen the piece, he was glad to see that he had a few more to go. Walking over towards the piece, he couldn't help but feel like he had a connection with this particular piece. He could clearly see that even though the darkness had masked the bright spots of the canvas, that there were still brightness to be seen. He had come to know what bad times were when his mother and father had split, but he knew that his family was his bright spot at the end of the day. No matter what darkness came, he loved his sister all the same and would never stop his love for her even now. So caught up in the art work, he glanced over to see that he wasn't alone. Their eyes met, and it just felt like a scene out of a movie for them as they had no idea that the other would be there, let alone look on in amazement at the same art piece.

"Why does it feel like your stalking me?" Blair turned to ask him

"Hello, to you, too" Dan laughed "I didn't come to stalk you, I came for the art" he told her

"As did I" Blair replied

"Then I guess I should look at this as us being lovers of the arts" Dan told her

"You and art, that sounds like a juxtaposition if I ever heard one" Blair laughed

"Yeah, well I do" Dan said as a moment of silence came between them, while they both tried to play off that they were looking at other pieces rather than acknowledging the tension between them. Blair had managed to saunter off a few feet away to look on at the other pieces before Dan walked over to her "I know that things are different, but I would very much like to see the rest of this exhibit with you" he told her

"Things aren't different. Who said things are different?" Blair asked nervously as he just smiled at her

"Then we should be able to be here together" Dan said

"That's where I beg to differ, you and I here together would never happen even without what happened" Blair said

"Your probably right" Dan laughed "Look, lets not make this difficult" he told her

"I don't want this to be difficult" Blair replied

"Then hang with me" Dan said

"What benefits do I gain from this?" Blair asked

"Embracing my Humphrey appeal" Dan told her

"Humphrey, I asked for the benefits not the downside" Blair told him as he just laughed

"You know as much you insult me, I do think you've proven me right" Dan said

"About what?" Blair asked

"I think you actually like me, and I told you would" Dan smiled as he began to walk ahead while all she could do was shake her head at how cocky he was

"Keep dreaming, keep dreaming Humphrey" Blair replied as they walked together to the next piece. Most of the night they had managed to forget all about their night together as they simply just enjoyed the exhibit. Going back and forth with interesting conversation and debate on the artists perspective, and he had to admit that even though he had no intention of cheating on Serena, he could see that if he was faced with the chance again to sleep with Blair, he'd do it again in a heartbeat. Throughout the night they had exchanged looks with each other that seemed to be of some flirtacious matter, but they would never admit that they would ever go there again when secretly if the oppurtunity would arise, they just might repeat the same actions over again

* * *

><p><em>[ "You want control, but how do you plan on going about that?" Dr. Han asked her<em>

_"By admitting truth. I think the biggest problem I had with myself was the fact that I hated my body. I hated that I wasn't like her and so I took that out on myself. I never admitted that, I always figured if I could improve that it would be better, but part of having this disorder is about lying. You lie to yourself repeatedly so you can justify what you just did, and make it seem like its perfectly normal" Blair said_

_"And have you, accepted the truth?" Dr. Han asked_

_"I'm beginning to, but I'm starting to see truth in other areas of my life. For the first time I feel beautiful, and I think as much as I'm going to hate admitting this...I feel beautiful because..." Blair said as she took a moment to collect herself "I've met someone or know someone, that I recently did something that could change everything in my world, and I can't stop thinking about him. I know he's wrong, but we shared something that for the first time I actually felt like I was beautiful, that my body was enough, that I was enough, and I'm scared because as wrong as it was, it just felt so right" she said_

_"Then I guess you have to ask yourself, how far are you willing to go to keep that feeling?" Dr. Han asked her ]_

* * *

><p>MusicLyrics in this Chapter:

MGMT- The Youth

Katy Perry- E.T. [like you guys didn't know :)]

Michelle Branch- Desperately

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. This one was actually a doozy for me because I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to go about this as far as how the show did it, but I was getting frustrated with trying to keep it the same with the show because of everything that has happened previously with Dan and Blair. So I remixed it as usual. Jenny as you know has told a big lie in hopes of getting into the inner circle, but little does she know she's being played, so overall I wanted to play off the School Lies titled and create a lie and deal with the lie of DAIR's night, so there is whole bunch of lying going on in this chapter. I do want you all to notice a certain character that will come in to play later in the chapters in a big, big way and its JOEL STEIN. I feel for Jenny, because I wasn't exactly a fan of her too much on the show, but I thought in the first season she had so much potential but they did nothing with her. So I hope you will keep an open mind with Jenny because in the end you'll start to realize or I hope you see why she does the things she does now or then. For DAIR, I know that what Dan was unlike him but I think at this point Jenny and Dan are both doing things that are not like them, so now they're both engulfed in this world of drama, lies, betrayal, and gossip...so holding onto who you are can be a little challenging when all that glitters is appealing to you. Just know that in this chapter, I wanted to show Dan feeling guilty but at the same time not so much because as you saw, there are issues with Serena that still leave him doubtful with her. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	13. The Thin Line Between Nate and Chuck

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. Thank you once again for the reviews, I truly do appreciate them. I promise to get the next chapter up by this weekend. I hope you enjoy :)**

**Chapter Thirteen- Thin Line Between Nate and Chuck**

The city lights glistened as they drove back to her penthouse, for the most part they both had enjoyed the exhibit to the point where they were surprised the other had a taste for the arts. Blair had come to peg Humphrey as the typical lower class, where the only finer things that he knew of was getting a combo as opposed to just the sandwich, but she was glad to see that the more she learned about him, the more she realized why Serena saw what she saw in him. Serena hadn't been one to pick guys that were a keeper, but she could honestly see him being a positive influence on her friend, and even herself….but she'd never admit that to him. Pulling up in front of the building, Dan got out first to hold the door open for Blair as they both headed into the building. She'd worry about a Gossip Girl sighting of them, but she knew that it was pretty much clear that he was the employee in this situation, so her mind went to ease knowing that they were pretty much safe from accusations coming her way. Going up on the elevator, the two hadn't said much but gave each other quick glances as if they wanted to say something to the other but didn't know how to start. Once the elevator doors opened up, Dan held the doors open that way they wouldn't close on her, she'd hate to admit it but it had been quite some time since she was treated with some much attention. Nate had shown attention early on in the relationship, but he had come to see her as so independent that he just stopped giving her that attention all together, but it just seemed like with Dan that it was just engrained in him to be a gentlemen.

"So tonight was unexpectedly fun" Dan said with a look on confusion on his face as she just laughed

"I wouldn't go that far, but you were tolerable in the public aspects" Blair replied

"Count on you to insult me even after" Dan smiled

"Well I have to keep things interesting" Blair replied "You know you didn't have to walk me up….I don't require that much attention" she said

"Believe me, you do…..but I actually needed to grab my usb from your mom's upstairs office….I was working on a paper…" Dan said before she interrupted

"Because my mother has just given you free reign of the house" Blair concluded

"Basically" Dan laughed "Your mom actually like me, you know. I happen to be a nice guy, I know you don't meet those too often but here I am" he said as he walked over to the staircase with Blair following behind

"Spare me the descriptions Humphrey" Blair replied "Can't you just walk without talking" she said

"I can but I feel like I have to remind you from time to time what type of gem you have" Dan joked

"Gem? More like an annoying piece of gum stuck to my shoe that won't come off is more like it" Blair laughed as they walked down the hallway

"And here I was ready to call you an actual decent person, the joke is always on me" Dan laughed as he left Blair standing outside the door way to her room before he walked in to grab his usb from Eleanor's office

"You better not be stealing anything, I've seen this trick on the news" Blair called out before he suddenly appeared

"Yes, I plan to steal business information for the benefit of….yeah, getting no reason why I would do that" Dan said as he stood in front of her

"Who knows what advancements you could gain, but you'd do it just because….I mean why do people get boot leg software?" Blair asked

"Have you priced software these days? Its insane…it's like a car payment now" Dan said

"And that must be the plight of the lower class…comparing everything to a monthly bill. If you want something then you should just get it and stop thinking the social structure has screwed you over" Blair argued

"I really don't think this is an argument we're going to agree upon" Dan said as he leaned up against the doorway to her room as she did so herself on her side of the doorway

"Figures, I'd be wasting my time trying to make you understand" Blair replied as she began to play with the strap on her clutch purse. He hadn't known much about girls, but he could tell that she was nervous in this moment just by her need to play with something. Blair had always been one to look people dead in the eyes to show that she feared no one, but it made him smile a bit that he could now make her of all people nervous. "I suppose this is me pushing my beliefs on to you" she then added softly

"I respect your beliefs, but I don't have to agree with them. We can agree to disagree, and still respect each other" Dan smiled

"There's that word again" Blair laughed

"What word?" Dan asked

"Respect" Blair replied "I mean you say it like you actually do respect me" she said

"Why wouldn't I, respect you?" Dan asked

"C'mon, you can't stand me" Blair reasoned

"Now that's pushing your beliefs on to me" Dan pointed out as she just looked at him "Your….your interesting, but no, I don't dislike you….I thought we all ready covered this" he questioned

"You know I don't remember anything you tell me, half the time I have to remember to listen to you when you talk" Blair joked

"Okay, I guess I do have a tendency to preach too much…" Dan said

"And judgmental, your very judgmental" Blair said

"I'm not…" Dan said

"Don't even say that lie, your judgmental and you know it" Blair laughed

"Our worlds aren't alike, so of course some things wouldn't make sense to me" Dan said

"But yet you partake in my world…hmm, maybe we should add hypocrite to that list" Blair pointed out

"There's no winning with you" Dan laughed "I mean every time I think I have you pegged, then you…you basically prove me right" he joked as they both just laughed to themselves "How are things?" he asked

"Are you talking things in general or that thing?" Blair asked

"That thing" Dan replied "I'm sorry if that lacked subtle undertones" he said

"At least its being called a thing now as opposed to the word disorder" Blair pointed out happily

"You did mention you hated that word now, so consider that my effort to respect your wishes" Dan laughed

"That thing is fine. I mean I'm dealing and going to therapy, which has made me talk about things I would have never talked about. I'm getting close to a normal weight, and I'm making myself understand that food is good for you and not the enemy….how pre-school does that sound?" Blair asked towards the end feeling like she was a child re-learning stuff she should know by now

"It's not pre-school, its admirable….I'm pretty sure in pre-school I thought the boogie man was the enemy, so your far more advanced than I ever was" Dan said

"But I guess I've changed my perception of myself, I'm starting to see that maybe I'm not so bad" Blair said

"That I can agree with you on, because regardless of what happened between us that night…I do still find you beautiful" Dan told her

"Should you be saying that to me?" Blair laughed

"Probably not, but then again she's hardly ever around to care" Dan said

"Sounds like the dream dust is starting to fade for you" Blair said

"Yeah, just a bit" Dan sighed "As wrong as it was that I cheated on her, I have to admit that I don't feel that bad about it" he said "I mean, that night…I enjoyed myself, not to sound pervy" he told her as she just looked at him with confusion

"You shouldn't be telling me this" Blair said trying to do right but secretly she was glad that he was telling her

"I know, and I should…I should probably go because I have the usb and that's what I came for" Dan said as he straightened up and prepared to leave "I had a good time, and I'll see you tomorrow" he said before he turned to leave as all she could do was watch him make his way down the staircase. Not wanting to watch Humphrey any longer just for her own sake, she turned to head into her room. Making it to the elevator, he was more than ready to leave but it just felt like his feet wouldn't let him board the elevator. Slowly backing away before he finally just made his way back upstairs to see that she had all ready entered into her bedroom, he once again thought to himself that he should probably just leave, but once again his feet wouldn't allow him to go anywhere but forward. Opening the door, she was startled by his abrupt opening of the door so much so that she had nearly forgotten that she had slipped out of her dress.

"What are you doing?" Blair asked

"I remembered I had to ask you something" Dan said

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Blair asked as she tried to cover herself with her robe to hide her bra and panties that she was in

"No, because I need your answer" Dan said

"Humphrey, go home?" Blair exclaimed

"I told you what I thought about that night, but you never told me what you thought" Dan said

"Because I don't think about it" Blair quickly replied

"Really?" Dan asked

"Really? Now, go!" Blair told him as he just looked at her for a moment before she just finally charged past him to try to open the door to kick him out, but he had quickly reached for the door knob as well. With him standing close behind her with their hands both on the door knob, Blair did all she could to control her heart rate or even her dream, but feeling his breath up against her neck just made it all to real

"What did you think about that night?" Dan whispered as he took in her scent

"Nothing" Blair breathed as she rested her forehead up against the door while she could feel the tip of him taking her in "Humphrey, just go" she whimpered as he moved in closer so that his body was close to hers

"I wish I could. I want to so badly…but I can't" Dan replied as the vibration of his words up against her body sent chills down her spine

"Then open the door and go" Blair whispered finding words even harder to form

"Do you want me to go?" Dan asked as he took his hand and slowly slid it around the front of her robe as he slowly tugged on it while all she could do was look down at his slow motions

"This is wrong" Blair whimpered as she slowly turned around towards him to see that she was caught in between his arms as he slowly leaned in

"I know" Dan said before he captured her lips

**I was full by your count**

**I was lost but your fool**

**Was a long visit wrong? **

**Say you are the only**

**So many foreign worlds(So relatively f*****)**

**So ready for us**

**So ready for us,**

**The creature fear**

Their bodies collapsed against the door as they both savagely tore away his clothing. Pinning her hand up against the door, he rested his forehead up against hers to gain control of the situation before he nipped at her lips. Taking her hand down to his waist, she undid his belt as he leaned in to kiss her neck while she threw his belt to the side before he finally tugged her towards him. Leading her back towards the bed, he allowed her this time to undress him like he had done to her once before so she felt as if she controlled the moment. Undoing his buttons on his dress shirt, she opened up the shirt to reveal his surprising abs that she had grown to be surprised by more and more. Lifting his tank top over his head, he pulled her towards him as he once again attacked her lips as she couldn't ignore how damn addictive he was to her. Doing her best to at least try to resist, Blair went in and out of consciousness as he continued to nip at her lips that made him want more and more of him. Finally coming to the conclusion that this was going to happen….again, she pushed him down on the bed before she straddled him. Any embarrassment she felt at the words tumbling from her lips was nothing compared to his reaction- he shuddered at her and hooked his fingers under her waistband of her panties as if peeling them from her body was a matter of life and death. Dan sat up slightly to slowly pull her panties down to the crease of her knees. Feeling the article of clothing leaving its designed location, she began to realize how naked she was beginning to feel with him as he delicately kissed her stomach while his hands roamed the upper part of her breasts. Leaning into him, she wrapped her arms around his neck as the pleasure of his lips up against her skin was driving her insane. For the first few moments he spent most of his time just cherishing her body as opposed to wanting to get to the important part of the hook up, which was the actual sex.

**Teased by your blouse**

**Spit out by your mouth**

**I was loud by your lowered**

**Seminary sold**

**Tear on tail on**

**Take all on the wind on**

**The soft bloody nose**

**Sign another floor...**

With the covers over their naked bodies, he had finally finished up with fumbling with the condom and was ready, turning his attention back to the brunette, who had her eyes closed as she awaited his thrust. A smile came to his face as he didn't want her to fear the pressure or the pain, leaning forward he kissed her forehead, then both of her eyelids, onto the tip of her nose, then he tenderly began to kiss her neck. Looking him in the eyes, she couldn't help but have this overwhelming feeling of calmness over her as she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, if anything he'd do anything from letting that happen, giving him a look of confirmation to go ahead she just felt ready for this. His initial thrust was powerful indeed, driving all of himself deep into her the warmth of her. Savoring the sensation of being inside of her as it yielded to the strong thrust, Blair moaned softly in his ear as he slowly moved within her. Feeling her give into him completely, as he went in and out, he had found a rhythm that was pleasing to both him and her. In this moment they hadn't felt the pressure of reaching certain points because they had already satisfied each other once, taking much of the urgency off what they were now doing so that they could just enjoy this. In and out, he thrusted into her, and increasingly his thrusts were met by her body pressing up against him. Harder and harder she pushed, forcing him deeper inside of her. She too savored their slow, steady pace, too often a man would spend so little time when she made herself available. What had possessed her to do so this night was unknown to her, never in her limited experience had Blair so willingly surrendered her sweetest prize.

**The so many territories**

**Ready to reform**

**Don't let it form us**

**Don't let it form us **

**The creature fear**

**So did he foil is 'own?**

**Is he ready to reform?**

**So many torahs**

**So many for us**

**The creature fear**

Her soft moans and sighs grew louder and louder each time he entered inside of her, and though she fought to stifle herself she was unable to. High pitched squeals resonated in Dan's ears as he continued to go harder and harder. It was almost painful each time her delighted cries echoed through the room, but Dan knew that they were the only ones in the penthouse that evening since Eleanor was out of town, and Dorota had left earlier with the rest of the staff, so the more she moaned seemed to make him want more of her. Faster and faster now he thrusted, driving in deeper and deeper into her. Another yelp from Blair was accompanied by her arms crushing him tight against her body, telling Dan as he could tell that she had once again reached the ultimate threshold of delight. Feeling her body squirm beneath him as her orgasm ravished her, Dan renewed his efforts to let her feel yet another in their experience together. Since he'd been fighting the urge to let go ever since first entering her, it wasn't long for him at all. His back arched as he came, pressing himself as deep into her body as he could, the two of them becoming one for a brief, shining instant. His hands were gripping hers tightly, matched by her own fingers constricting as they shared a long awaited moment together. Sweat drenched their bodies, and Blair's tawny brown hair was a mess, but as Dan came to look upon her face he realized no woman in the world would ever look as good to him as she did now. They collapsed in a mutual embrace as they sought to regain their breath after the wonderful exertions that had just been shared.

* * *

><p>Laying in her bed, the young girl stared up at the ceiling with her ear buds from her ipod hanging in her ears. For the past couple of days she had been lead to believe that things were a certain way with her mother all because of her father and brother, but to learn the truth…the real truth about her mother…..it just seemed to hard to handle. A part of her wanted to believe that it wasn't true, and that it was Dan's attempt of making her turn against her mother, but then she knew in her heart of hearts that Dan wouldn't stoop that low to prove a point to her. How did they get like this? She kept asking herself as she just stared up at the ceiling. How can they get things back to where they used to be? But the bigger thing was did she want things to get back to what they once were. Everything that was going on with Chuck just felt like it was happening all so fast that she hadn't even taken time to really think about it. She didn't expect for Blair to remove her from the group, but she didn't expect to go rogue and force her way into the inside with Chuck Bass none the less. It was just all becoming too much and she just felt like in this moment that she needed something to help her make sense of the craziness that was this world. Quickly sitting up on her bed, she reached over to grab her phone and began to call her mother up in hopes of just talking to figure what was going on. Listening to the rings on the other side of the phone, Jenny hoped that her mother would've have picked up but once it went to voicemail that hope quickly faded away.<p>

"Hey mom, this is Jen. I just wanted to talk to you about something very, very important…..I was just talking with Dan and….I just really need to talk to you about something, and I really need to hear from you, so please call me back" Jenny said trying to think of what else she could say to her mother while she still had the time "Also I was wondering…" she quickly tried to say before the final beep came to signal that her message had ended

"To send your message, press one. To listen to your message, press two. To delete your message, press three" The automated voice asked before Jenny just shook her head in annoyance of the situation

"Delete" Jenny said before she hit number three on her phone then hung the phone so she could quickly toss it to the side of her bed. Laying back on her bed once again, she just couldn't manage to just be still as she had to do something. Sitting up once again on her bed, she grabbed her phone and quickly went to her contact list to call upon the only person she could talk about this to.

"Hello" Eric answered the phone

"Hi" Jenny happily tried to say as she was choking back tears "I haven't heard from you in a while so I just wanted to call and see how you were" she said

"How I am? This sounds out of the blue" Eric questioned

"No, no, its not out of the blue…well it is out of the blue, but I just really wanted to talk to you" Jenny said

"About what Jenny?" Eric asked before Jenny could hear whispers in the back round on his side of the phone

"Are you out right now?" Jenny asked

"I'm at brunch with my mother" Eric sighed

"Oh, is this for your mother's engagement? I heard about that, congrats I guess" Jenny said

"Trust me, its not a congrats situation" Eric replied "Look, I really can't talk right now because I'm hearing rumblings about a photo that needs to be taken right now….so can I just call you back later?" he asked

"Yeah, that's fine. I was actually hoping that we could hang out, you know, like we used to" Jenny said feeling a little hopeful about her day

"Okay, we can do that" Eric replied before he ended the phone call a little unsure of what to make of it

* * *

><p>Her eyes began to flutter open hoping to see the sun shining through her open curtains, but to see the curtain still closed let her know that Dorota hadn't come in yet. Slowly stirring in the bed, she could quickly feel his body beside her in the bed. Her eyes quickly widened in shock as she just simply couldn't believe that she let it happen again, pressing the sheets closely to her body as she accessed the articles of clothing that was spread out on the floor to show that it was very real what happened between them. Feeling the movement beside him in the bed, Dan began to wake only to realize that he wasn't in his usual bed. Noticing the pieces of art from a time era of corsets and ball gowns, it came to him in an instant as to where he was. Unsure as to how she was reacting to their actions, he slowly sat up in the bed as she quickly froze once she realized that he was awake.<p>

"So I'm guessing that it happened again" Dan said as he rubbed his eyes trying to wake himself up still while she just sat and pouted

"Yes, it happened again….will you stop hogging the covers" Blair replied before she yanked at the covers

"How? I mean I know how, but us and that…I don't get it" Dan questioned as he tried to hold his ground when it came to the covers

"Call it a moment of…" Blair began to say before Dan quickly interrupted

"Don't say delusion because it was not delusion" Dan stated

"Insanity was the route I was going to take, pure insanity" Blair replied

"Insanity? How is it insane?" Dan asked

"Are you defending this begotten mistake?" Blair asked as he slowly began to realize that it was exactly what he was doing

"Okay, I take that back. It's insanity" Dan agreed "I just don't see how though, I mean we went to the exhibit and then…" he said before she cut him off

"We can't blame it on the alcohol because we didn't have anything to drink" Blair replied

"I wasn't going to blame it on the alcohol…I was going to say that maybe….okay, I have nothing" Dan said

"I thinks it obvious what happened" Blair stated as Dan quickly turned to look at her "You attacked me, forced me to have sex with you, and to save my life I just complied" she made up in her mind as he just looked at her like she had lost her mind

"Then you'll have trouble backing up that story, when you have to explain that we lost our virginities to each other" Dan pointed out as she quickly turned to look at Dan

"You were a virgin?" Blair asked him

"I really don't want to talk about that" Dan said

"I just thought that Serena and you would've all ready taken care of that detail….I mean your dating Serena van der Woodsen" Blair reasoned

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked

"Your dating Serena van der Woodsen!" Blair quickly replied

"I actually believe that sex shouldn't be rushed in to, its something that both people have to agree upon….and Oh, God! I sound like a hypocrite" Dan babbled

"I'm glad your starting to recognize your own hypocrisy because you've always wreaked of it" Blair said as she reached over to grab her phone to see that Serena had text her "Aw, crap….S, text me. How great is this? It was while we were…oh, I think I'm going to throw up" she said as she looked on at her text message while Dan reached into his pants pocket to grab his phone

"Her mom has officially set a date for the engagement party. I didn't even know her mom was seeing anyone" Dan sighed as looked over at Blair

"That's because you hardly pay attention to the details" Blair stated

"Yeah, well, me paying attention to the details would have to involve my girlfriend being around and not jet setting around the world" Dan said before Blair picked up the pillow to hit him with it "What's that for?" he asked trying to duck away from her hit

"Because your with Serena van der Woodsen! Of course she jet sets" Blair reasoned

"Hi, remember me, the outsider!" Dan said sarcastically to her as she groaned in frustration before she heard Dorota greeting Nate downstairs

"And this day just got worse" Blair freaked out before she shoved Dan out of the bed and onto the floor then hopped out of the bed to grab her robe to put her around her naked

"Ouch!" Dan declared

"Will you shut up" Blair told him in an angry whisper "Now, grab your crap and go" she told him

"Uh, there is only one way out" Dan said as he slipped in to his boxers before he reached over to grab his pants

"Get creative then, your from Brooklyn…make it work" Blair said as she snapped her fingers trying to rush him out of her room

"The only way out is…" Dan said before she cut him off

"That's exactly what I was thinking" Blair said as she threw his jacket, dress shirt, and tie at him

"Are you serious?" Dan asked

"You get health insurance, so yes, I'm serious" Blair said as she tried to shove him over to the window but they both quickly heard Nate coming up the staircase "Better yet, just jump through it" she suggested

"I'm not jumping through a window" Dan replied

"Figure something out!" Blair whispered angrily as they both heard the footsteps coming closer and before she could even look towards Dan, he took off towards her closet. Turning her attention to the opening door, Blair tightened up her robe to greet Nate

"Rise and shine" Nate greeted her with breakfast in hand

"Nate, what are you doing here?" Blair asked as she walked over to give him a hug

"I thought I would come by to surprise you" Nate told her "I actually had made plans for us to hang out for the day" he said

"Really?" Blair asked "I think I actually have plans with Serena today, you know with Lilly getting engaged in all" she said nervously hoping that Dan wouldn't all of a sudden get clumsy and fall out of the closet

"Yeah, I talked to Serena and she said that we are exempt from all things engagement" Nate smiled "So that leaves us to go to Long Island" he said

"Long Island…how exciting" Blair replied trying to sound as happy as she could while Dan couldn't help but look through the crack of the door at the two together. Clenching on tight to his dress shirt, he couldn't help but notice that half of him was still bare naked as he secretly hoped that they would hurry up and go.

* * *

><p>Finishing up his texting with a smile from ear to ear on his face, Carter was eager to set all prior engagements to the side so that he could devote his full attention to his friend. Looking on at how much Carter was enjoying this, Dan clenched on tight to his dress jacket as he tried to busy himself with trying to figure out what he wanted to eat as opposed to what Carter was going to say. In his mind he knew that mess he was in was something he usually wouldn't do, but for the life of him he just couldn't figure out how his morals went to the wayside so quickly. He wanted to believe they were at the wayside, but the more he sat and thought, the more he talked himself into remembering what he stood for or at least wanted to stand for. Ever since their disagreement the other day, and just beyond, Dan just always felt like he was never truly in Serena's life, like she was only showing him the parts that she was willing to show so that the fantasy of her still stayed alive in his mind. He'd be lying if he didn't think the world of Serena or thought that she was everything, but he just felt like he was clinging to a relationship that he wasn't sure she took so seriously at times. She was an it girl, and he accepted that, but it was like she was always gone doing things with her mother for appearance purposes or to appease her mother's relationship. Dan had only met Lilly once, but he was never truly privileged to see how she was. Eleanor had said a few words about her in reference to social gatherings, but nothing in depth that would make him believe anything less about her. Setting his phone aside just as the waitress brought their food out, Dan didn't waste any time on beginning to eat his food.<p>

"So lets just go over your night in review?" Carter asked as he couldn't help but laugh "I mean I get a desperate call to come get you from Waldorf's because you supposedly ran out of change for the bus" he said as Dan just glared at him

"I did. I ran out of money" Dan declared

"That's fine. I mean we all run out of money" Carter reasoned

"No, you don't run out of money….your money just multiplies" Dan scoffed at him

"Correction, my parents money" Carter told him "I just have access to their money, but I fully intend to be financially independent without the trappings of being tied to the family business" he said

"The family business that makes you money" Dan said

"Okay, we're losing focus….why were you over at Waldorf's?" Carter asked

"I work there" Dan quickly replied

"I know that, but why are you in the same clothing that I saw you in yesterday for your supposed La Rouge exhibit?" Carter said

"It wasn't the supposed La Rouge exhibit, I went to this supposed event" Dan replied

"And from what I hear, you didn't go alone. Blair was there" Carter said

"Yes, I'm aware" Dan told him

"Don't give me that…yes, I'm aware crap" Carter shrugged "You went there with Blair" he pointed out

"No, I didn't go with Blair. She was there and I was there" Dan replied to the questioning "That's all there was, and I checked Gossip Girl so there is no rumor mill flying about us being at the exhibit together" he said

"You know why you checked it? Because you felt guilty about something…you did something guilt worthy" Carter said

"I can neither refuse or deny that" Dan said as he slouched down in his chair

"Can you confirm something for me then?….confirm if you, I don't know, slept with a certain brunette" Carter asked

"Deny" Dan quickly replied "I slept with Blair" he said before Carter nearly fell out of his chair in shock

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" Carter declared as Dan did his best to try to calm him down but the excitement of being right just caught up with Carter

"Will you calm down?" Dan asked trying to calm him

"Oh, you've got some explaining to do" Carter told him "How? How do you sleep with her again?" he asked in disbelief

"I don't know?" Dan replied

"I mean, did she come on to you and you just couldn't resist? Or were you all lusty for her?" Carter asked

"None of the above…I mean I kissed her, but it was all lusty…it was the moment again" Dan replied

"The moment?" Carter asked "What exactly happens in this moment that causes two people who bicker worse than Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump to fall into bed together?" he asked

"I can't explain it, but its this moment, I can't describe it but its just there and I have no idea where it came from. Believe me, if I could find a way to u-turn when it comes to those moments then I would, but I can't" Dan explained

"So in these moments you just feel the need to have sex with her?" Carter asked "I think that moment is called horniness" he then said

"No, its not. I'm not that kind of a guy" Dan said "Hell, I thought I wasn't that kind of guy but I'm just…I'm not that person, and I feel like that guy is slowly slipping away" he said

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Carter then asked

"I don't know" Dan sighed "Look, I admit that with everything going on with Serena, it kind of was a relief to just be with Blair last night, but I would never intentionally try to hurt Serena" he said

"I get that. This was just a slippage, slippage of clothes and other things that I don't care to get into" Carter reasoned

"Which is why I think I should just end things with Serena" Dan said as Carter shook his head

"No, you can't do that" Carter said

"Why not?" Dan asked "I cheated. I've cheated on my girlfriend with her best friend, do you know how bad that sounds?" he asked

"It sounds bad, it sounds like something you see on Jerry Springer, but your making a mistake by breaking up with Serena" Carter said

"How?" Dan asked "I mean besides the obvious points that I've stated and that your aware of" he said

"Well, for one, her mother's wedding has officially become the event that will put her back on the social standings" Carter stated

"What does that have to do with me?" Dan asked

"Because you're the boyfriend of Serena van der Woodsen, that's big in itself. If you give our fickled media circle any breaking news than that's going to hurt her in the end" Carter said

"And me cheating won't?" Dan asked in disbelief not understanding the logic "Please tell me you have another reasoning because the one you have isn't working" he said

"I do" Carter nodded "Your not certain" he said

"What does that mean?" Dan asked

"Your not certain about anything, your not certain about Serena or this moment deal with Blair….I mean what if there is something there with one of them, and if you end things on account for the other then you'll never truly know" Carter reasoned

"That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard" Dan replied "What happened to the whole thing where I was playing a dangerous game?" he asked

"I know, but as your friend I have to give you the logical and the illogical thought, and my illogical thought is saying that you should kind of play this out a bit" Carter said "Basically I'm the dumbass friend in the movie that states the crude and dumb points as to why you should do something" he said

"Can't you be logical then?" Dan asked

"I can't because I'm a little envious that your having sex, and I'm not" Carter said before Dan just laughed

"I knew there was a reason why you wanted to know how it was" Dan replied

"Fine, but the point is that your converted now. Your like a newly formed vampire that just wants blood all the time because that's what you crave, in your case its sex. Your like the Bella in the Twilight, that finally gets turned into a vampire and you just suck, suck, suck, suck but instead you fu…" Carter said before Dan cut him off

"I get the point" Dan told him

"Do you really? Because I feel like your just saying that" Carter asked

"I get the point" Dan said as he got up from the table

"Are you sure? Because I can break it down for you" Carter asked

"I don't need anything else broken down. I just…I need sleep" Dan said

"Because of a long night, which is understandable, Bella" Carter said as he followed Dan out

"Don't call me that" Dan replied

"It's who you are now, you're the blood sucking Bella" Carter said

"Your comparing me to a damn vampire movie, this is how I know you're a virgin" Dan replied

"Which is why I live vicariously through you" Carter said

"That's frightening" Dan replied

"I'm starting to realize that" Carter said

* * *

><p>Being at school had become a peaceful feeling for her, it was the only thing in which she had complete control of. With the changes made to her minions, Blair made sure to strike fear in them to let them know that the kind of behavior that Jenny was displaying would not be acceptable to her…if you weren't a trust fund kid. She was well aware of the fact that Katy and Isobel were far from innocent, but like stated to Jenny, they were secure in the fact that they were trust fund kids. Passing Jenny in the hallways with her minion in tow, Blair did feel bad for her as she could clearly see that Jenny had gone back to outside status quicker than she imagined, but she hoped that with her dismal that someday Jenny would understand that she was doing it for her own good. Slowly going off in their own different directions, Blair found herself walking with only one minion over to her locker to retrieve her books before her next class. Grabbing her books from her locker, Blair was quickly caught off guard by Nate's sudden appearance once she closed her locker door. She had found his appearance to be something that was becoming constant over the past few days, especially since they had spent the day together. It was clear what his motives were, but she was unsure as to why now.<p>

"Hey" Nate smiled as he leaned in to kiss her cheek, which happened to be conveniently at the same time Dan glanced over while entering his English class that Blair and him shared

"Hi" Blair smiled before turning her attention over to her minion "You can go. I do expect to have that report by tomorrow" she told the girl as the girl just nodded

"Will do. Nice seeing you Nate" The girl said before she quickly walked off to give the two privacy

"I forget how power driven you are" Nate smiled "I missed that about you" he said

"Really, you missed that aspect about me" Blair laughed finding it hard to believe that he missed that part of her "Your laying it on thick this week" she teased

"Am I that transparent?" Nate asked

"You forget that I've known you since we were about five years old" Blair laughed

"I do tend to forget that with us all being so grown up now" Nate replied

"Haven't we always been grown up, I mean with the Captain, you were always on tip top shape then there is Chuck, who is a mess all on his own, but is mature in the oddest of ways" Blair said

"Its always been the four, through good and bad" Nate told her "I just hope the bad is behind us" he said

"I hope for the same thing" Blair smiled "Which is why you can just be upfront and not have to wine and dine me" she said

"I thought I was being upfront, hence the making fun of me part of our conversation" Nate said

"What does this mean Nate?" Blair asked

"This means that I miss you, and I want us to get back together. I want us to be what we used to be" Nate said

"And what brought this on?" Blair asked

"Not having you anymore. So much of my days were you, and I guess with all this free time, I'm realize that I loved that part of my day" Nate told her

"Things will always be different though, I mean we can't erase what's happened" Blair said

"I know, but I think we've both grown since then. You've got this change in you that has become so apparent, I mean your confident and its like your glowing, like you're a new woman or something" Nate smiled as Blair became increasingly nervous

"I don't have a glow, its just perspiration" Blair tried to reason only to realize that it sounded weird "I mean Dorota has been lagging in my essentials department" she laughed nervously

"So how about it? How would you like us again?" Nate asked her before the bell rang

"I have to go" Blair said quickly before Nate grabbed on to her arm

"Wait, what's your answer?" Nate asked "I'd like to know if I will be having dinner with my girlfriend tonight" he then said

"Uh…I have to go. Can we talk about this later?" Blair asked as she slowly backed away from his embrace "I promise. We'll talk" she said before she opened the door to her class to see that the seating chart was not in effect with the class broken into groups of two. Walking over to the teacher, Blair did her best to figure out what was going on

"So glad you could join us today Ms. Waldorf" The teacher said sarcastically "Go ahead and sit with Mr. Humphrey" she told her

"Excuse me, who?" Blair asked

"Dan Humphrey" The teacher said "For you Emily Dickinson analysis project….your paired with Daniel Humphrey" she said hoping Blair would get that deer in headlight look out of her face

"Is there anyone else? I actually think my best work is done when I'm alone" Blair said as Dan got up from his seat and walked up to the front to where Blair and the teacher were

"So I've heard" Dan muttered as she turned to glare at him "I do actually agree, I mean I like doing these projects on my own. It enhances the learning experience" he said

"Nice try, you two are paired together. You will be doing an Emily Dickinson poem and analyzing it in the form of an essay" The teacher said

"He can't write" Blair quickly blurt out as he just turned to look at her

"I'm a writer, I think that's the main criteria" Dan reasoned

"Humphrey will you just stop being a smart ass!" Blair scolded him

"I wouldn't have to be, if you would at least take the time to understand one tiny detail about me" Dan said

"See, we'll kill each other. We can't be paired together" Blair tried to point out

"Nice try, but you will be working together" The teacher said before she quickly walked away

"I would ask when do you want to meet up, but I'll just see you after practice" Dan sighed

"You did this on purpose!" Blair said before she hit him on the arm

"Yes, because I'm so eager to work with you" Dan said sarcastically at her accusation

"This is your form of torture" Blair stated

"No, this is….I don't know what this is, but this whatever has to work together to do a paper that is a heavy percentage of our grade. So if you want to stay in the running for Yale, then I suggest you muster up a smile and realize we're stuck together" Dan told her "Notice how I remember the fact that you want to go to Yale" he then said

"Notice how I don't care" Blair quickly snapped back at him before she walked over to her seat

* * *

><p>The final bell couldn't have rang quick enough for the young boy as he was just so eager to grab his usual espresso from the coffee shop that was on his way home. News spread quickly about his mother's engagement, which wasn't so hard to believe because anything with the last name van der Woodsen attached to it was sure fire way to get things spreading. It hadn't been a surprise to him that his mother had decided to get remarried again because he basically saw his mother as a professional bride at this point in his life. Every relationship since his father had left, had always been one of social climbing in his opinion and was becoming less and less about love, even though his mother always fed him that line of crap that she had fallen in love. Putting in his order, he glanced at the magazines on the table before he noticed Jenny sitting off in the corner drinking her own bit of coffee. It was really no surprise to him to see her there because they had always frequented the shop when they were hanging out, but a part of him was a little nervous to go over to talk to her since they hadn't spoken much after she basically rejected him. Knowing that he should at least try to be a friend, he cautiously walked over towards Jenny and before he could even manage to get a word out, Jenny smiled from ear to ear at his appearance. He had completely forgotten what it was like to see her when she was in his opinion the most beautiful, but those were trains of thought that he had put on a different course if he was ever going to survive getting over his feelings for Jenny.<p>

"I'm so glad to see you" Jenny smiled

"I am too" Eric smiled "I have to admit that I forgot that we used to come here a lot, so I didn't intend on running into you or anyone for that matter" he said

"It's fine. I had no intention either" Jenny replied "You want to join me?" she asked as he took a seat across from her at the table

"Don't mind if I do" Eric replied as he got comfy in his seat "So how have you been?" he asked

"I've been surviving" Jenny smiled "You?" she asked

"I've been surviving" Eric replied "Literally, I have….my mother has turned the suite into a wedding house, where everything is just wedding this and wedding that" he told her

"Don't knock her, women love weddings, it's the highlight of our lives" Jenny said

"I wouldn't go that far, but since she's married three times before…the sentimental aspect of it has kind of gone for me. Serena is into that stuff, not me" Eric replied

"The wedding has officially been dubbed the event of the year" Jenny smiled "Is it because of the van der Woodsen appeal?" she asked

"Probably, or they might want to see if Serena goes into a drunken stupor like my mother's last wedding. That was classic, all I can tell you is alcohol and cake were a part of this scenario" Eric laughed

"Sounds memorable" Jenny laughed as they just took that moment to enjoy each other "I forgot how fun it was to be with you" she smiled at him

"I forgot how it was to hear you laugh and not plot your way to the top" Eric said

"Yeah, well there has been a wrench thrown in that plan. Blair removed me from the group because of the rumors" Jenny replied

"Don't you think that's good grounds to be removed? I mean Chuck Bass and you?" Eric stated

"Don't start Eric" Jenny sighed

"I'm not, I was just saying" Eric replied "I know you want people to believe the notion that you can hook up with guys like Nate and Chuck, but to start rumors?" he question

"I know what your saying, but I was hoping you wouldn't say it, not now" Jenny said

"Is it true? I mean I saw the kiss on the cheek, but has it turned into more?" Eric asked

"No, nothing has turned into more. I'm just hanging out with Chuck" Jenny said

"So in other words, your thinking about it" Eric concluded

"Okay, now would be a great time to change the subject" Jenny said

"Don't do that. Don't change subject because you want to avoid talking about something that I might want to know" Eric replied

"I'm changing the subject because I don't want our first conversation in weeks be about rumors" Jenny replied

"But its not rumors, you clearly stated that your hanging out, and I've been around long enough to know what that means" Eric said

"Well interpret it your own way, but I don't want to talk about it" Jenny told him "I actually wanted to talk about something else with you" she said as he just shook his head "I wanted to talk about my mother" she said before he just got up from his seat

"And I fell for it again" Eric sighed

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked "I thought we were talking?" she then asked

"No, your selectively talking to me. I ask questions, and you avoid them" Eric said "You choose what you want me to know" he said

"Because I know how you feel about Chuck and just everything in general about that world" Jenny said

"No, you just know how I feel about you, and you think I won't be able to handle it" Eric quickly replied "Better yet, your afraid that I might judge you and tell you your wrong" he said

"Judging is amongst the reasons, but I don't want to talk about that with you. I really wanted to talk to you about something else far more important" Jenny tried to reason

"And I'm done talking" Eric told her "Look, I miss you….I really do, but I don't miss the secrets or finding out last, when it comes to your breaking news. I wish you the best of luck with Chuck" he said before he walked over to grab his coffee before he left with Jenny following close behind

"Will you please just talk to me?" Jenny pleaded with him as they walked out side

"Why?" Eric asked as he turned around to face her suddenly

"Because all I have is you" Jenny replied with tears welled up in her eyes as all he could do was look at her "My dad is all weird around me because he's not sure how to act. Dan, he's pissed at me. My mom….well that's a whole different story because…" she told him as he just shook his head trying to shake out the sob story she was trying to fill him with

"I don't want to know" Eric replied leaving her shocked

"What?" Jenny asked a bit confused

"I don't want to know. There was a time where I would've loved to have you open up to me about what was going on in your life, but now….I feel like a spectator, in which I'm waiting for the car crash to happen" Eric told her "I can honestly say that I have no clue on who you are" he said

"You know me. Eric, you're the only one I can really talk to" Jenny cried

"But yet you always push me to the side for someone else…for the next Chuck, Blair, or even Nate for that matter" Eric said "You only need me when there is no one else. I'm always there because you know how I feel about you, you know that I'd do anything for you, you know that….you know that I love you" he told her

"How am I supposed to know?" Jenny asked

"Because your supposed to know?" Eric replied "Your supposed to know" he replied sadly

"I do love you…" Jenny said before Eric just shook his head

"No, you don't love me. Not in the way I want you to love me" Eric told her "I hate how things are between us because I just never thought that you'd lose yourself in all of this. I love you, but I don't love this version of you" he said

"What? What are you talking about? I'm the same person. I'm still the same girl that would hang out with you in your room at the Ostroff, I'm still the same girl that use to e-mail you fifteen times a day just so you won't bored in your sessions, I'm the same girl that knows you" Jenny told him

"No, your far from that. You have been for a while" Eric said before he finally just walked off

* * *

><p>Coming down the staircase, Dorota looked on at the two bickering teenagers as they came out of the kitchen. It had been normal for them to bicker like that for her because that's just how they were with each other, but Dorota did start to notice a different side to them lately that she couldn't quite put her finger on what was so different. Blair's bulimia issues had a toll on everyone in the penthouse, but in the center of it all seemed to be Dan, who was in large part a big support system, if not more than Eleanor was at times. Dorota knew that even though they argued, they still had a mutual understanding and respect for each other that they had made evident to others but each other. Laughing to herself as she just listened in on their conversation, Dorota could only hope that this assignment wouldn't lead to them killing each other. Putting his legs up on the sofa, Blair quickly threw his legs down off of the sofa before taking a seat on the opposite end of the sofa from him. Flipping through his library books on Emily Dickinson, Dan did his best to translate the poetry terms that were used, but his mind wouldn't allow him to especially since he had so many offense and defensive sets to memorize from practice. Laying his head back on the sofa, he let out a sigh of frustration as he wished that he didn't have to deal with this today before he glanced over to see Blair diligently looking on her computer. Noticing the strand of hair that had come to her face, he wanted to tuck it away behind her ear but knew any form of touching would probably set her off and make her mad. He couldn't help but just look at her, and try to figure out what exactly caused him to want to kiss her or made him go as far to having sex with her. Not wanting her to catch him staring at her, Dan put his attention back to the book.<p>

"Have you found anything?" Blair asked as he looked over at her

"What?" Dan asked nervously wondering if she had noticed him staring at her

"Have you found anything?" Blair asked "Are you not paying attention?" she then asked him as she noticed this dumb look on his face

"Yes, I'm paying attention" Dan replied "Have you found anything?" he asked

"If I'm deferring to you, then clearly I haven't found anything" Blair replied as she put her lap top down on the table "Trying to find something easy enough for your mind to comprehend is harder work than I thought" she said

"Believe it or not, I'm smart and you know I'm smart, so this whole dumbed down poem on my account is sounding more like you not understanding the terms" Dan replied "Ooh, hitting you with the knowledge on that one" he teased as he tried to put his hand to her face but she had managed to knock his attempts away

"Stop" Blair replied

"I think its clear what's going on with you" Dan said as he ran his hand through his hair just getting more comfortable in his seat on the sofa

"This should be a doozy, what do you, Dan Humphrey of Brooklyn, think is wrong with me?" Blair asked

"Besides the fact that you know nothing about Brooklyn, so you judge the unknown. I think your all wound up over a certain Abercrombie and Fitch boy" Dan said

"Nate? I'm not wound up over Nate" Blair replied

"So your perfectly fine with him trying to make an obvious attempt to get back together with you" Dan said

"He's not trying to do anything" Blair replied

"I'm not stupid, I know what he's trying to do. Serena informed me of her talk with him in Aspen" Dan said "How do you feel about that? The whole Aspen trip?" he asked

"Oh, God! Your insecurities make you even more pathetic" Blair told him

"My insecurities? that's not insecurity, that's called a possible chance of history repeating itself. That has to come in to effect when you reconsider getting back together with him" Dan told her

"Why are you so interested in my relationship with Nate?" Blair asked

"You know why, I've made my opinions clear on that matter" Dan replied

"And I've ignored that opinion multiple times. Its just starting to sound like your…like your jealous or something" Blair told him

"I'm not jealous of Nate, that would be the last thing that would happen" Dan told her "I've just seen you go through a lot because of him, and I just don't think he deserves to be with you" he said

"And who do I deserve to be with you, in your opinion?" Blair asked

"Someone who will respect you. Someone that takes into account that you're a control freak. Someone that appreciates you. Someone who just challenges you on your bs" Dan told her

"I love how you think you know me" Blair laughed to herself "You have no idea what your talking about" she replied

"Believe it or not, I do happen to know a few things when it comes to you" Dan said "I've been around you enough to learn" he said as the two just looked at each other for a moment

"Don't do that" Blair replied before she hit him with the pillow

"Don't do what?" Dan asked "Look at you?" he questioned

"Yes, look at me. That look you do, its lead to mistakes" Blair sighed

"You mean us…" Dan said before she cut him off

"Please, don't label it or put a name to it" Blair groaned

"Why is it such a bad thing? I mean for the obvious reasons, but was it that bad?" Dan asked

"I'm not talking about that with you" Blair replied

"Why not? We've never discussed it, so don't you think we should" Dan asked

"Us not thinking is what lead to it happening" Blair told him "So no, I'm not going to talk about it with you" she said

"Even though you experienced it with me" Dan replied "Well, its fine. I mean I can conclude on my own of what you thought, I mean I was there to see it and feel it" he said as she just glared it

"And you just proved why I think so low of you" Blair replied "That was the most repulsive thing you've ever said just in a span of one sentence" she scolded him as all he could do was stare on at the strand of hair that rested on her face. Unable to take it any longer as she just rambled on, Dan moved over to tuck the strand of hair behind her ear not realizing how close he had moved towards her

"What'd you do that for?" Blair asked trying to be mean but couldn't find the tone to back it up

"It was bugging me" Dan replied softly as a moment of silence came between them "And on another note, you should be with someone that likes your natural beauty opposed to all the manufactured products that create it" he told her as he traced the outline of her face

"Is that the crowd pleaser, that corny line" Blair said as she tried to push his hand aside but found the touch of his hand to be like a spark between them

"No, I don't think that was a line" Dan told her as they just looked at each other, completely unaware of how close they were moving in towards each other, but were quickly brought back to reality with the sudden entrance of Eleanor. Nearly jumping over to his side of the sofa, Dan and Blair tried to get back to their normal behavior

"I can't believe how slow these people can be. I ask for one thousand mock ups and they act like I'm asking for one million" Eleanor complained as she looked on at the two to see them sitting prim and proper

"Uh…who?" Dan asked

"Gnesh. I have less than a month to get the design of the runway for fashion week in Milan, and they just think I have time to spare" Eleanor said

"Have you even confirmed your itinerary for Milan yet?" Blair asked just trying to get back to her normal self

"Darling, I think that's the least of my worries" Eleanor replied

"Do you want me to talk to Sonya, I mean she seems to be the only one who has an actual clue when it comes to fashion week over there" Dan suggested

"I suppose" Eleanor sighed "If you could get it done by this weekend then it will help greatly" she said

"I can have it done by tonight" Dan said as he got up from his seat on the sofa

"Okay, I relish the actual moments, when you actually decide to do your job, but we have an assignment to get through and I'm not spending my weekend doing it" Blair told him

"We will get in done before this weekend. Actually we should probably take a breather, and clear our heads" Dan suggested as Blair just glared at him but deep down she was feeling the same way in fear of another close call happening again between them

"Dually noted" Blair agreed before Dan quickly made his way upstairs to the office

"You know, with Daniel around…I actually don't feel so overwhelmed" Eleanor sighed

"Well having him around has more negatives than positives" Blair replied

"Oh, I know that's just you trying to keep the bicker alive between the two of you" Eleanor laughed "You know, its strange because I feel like lately you two have been getting along so much better now" she commented as Blair squirmed in her seat

"Maybe we should change the subject of Dan all together" Blair told her mother

"Fine, we'll change the subject" Eleanor agreed "So…. Let's have girl talk, lets catch up on the important stuff that a mother and daughter should be talking about" she suggested

"Okay, I'm a little afraid to carry out this conversation" Blair said a little weirded out by her mother's need to talk

"How are you in the boy department?" Eleanor smiled before Blair quickly got up from her seat and left the room, leaving her mother behind to wonder what she did wrong "What'd I do?" she asked in confusion

* * *

><p>Making her way into her bedroom as she brushed her hair, Blair stopped dead in her tracks as she looked on at her bed thinking of the actions that had taken place in that very bed. She wanted so badly to just view her bed as just her bed, but she kept replaying her moments with Dan in the bed, and she couldn't get past it. Grabbing the corner of the bed comforter, she quickly tossed it to the floor in hopes of taking away some added pressure she put on herself to get past it. In her mind she just kept questioning her decision making because if she was in her right mind then she would have never let it happen again between Dan and her. What was she thinking? She asked herself as she finally just stripped the bed completely to where it was just the mattress on its own. Going over towards her closet, she stood on her tip toes to grab a blanket before closing the door on her way back to spread the blanket over the mattress. Just as she was getting her bed ready for the night, she was torn away from the process by the ringing of her cell phone. Seeing that it was Serena calling, Blair wasted no time in answering.<p>

"I was wondering when I was going to get an update" Blair laughed as she answered the phone

"Well here is your exclusive, exhausting has become an understatement for helping my mother with this wedding" Serena said

"Don't you guys have a manual by now, I mean your mother has taken many trips down the aisle" Blair joked

"You would think" Serena laughed "Hey, I looked over the guest list for this weekend, and I have yet to see you and Nate guarantee you appearance?" she asked

"Somehow I knew he was lying when he told me that we were excused" Blair replied

"When were you ever excused, I fully expect my best friend to be by my side as a member of the bridesmaid duties" Serena said excitedly

"Bridesmaid? How did that ever happen?" Blair asked "I thought Lilly's social circle was vying for that top spot" she laughed

"Well, lets just say Ms. Livingston didn't do herself any favors when she decided to get tipsy and spread accusations" Serena replied

"Oh, so that was real. I just thought Chuck was joking when he told me that bit of information" Blair replied

"No, Chuck was there to witness the debacle with Bart being the best man and all" Serena said

"So is Lilly loving the fact that she's topped the social calendar consecutively?" Blair asked

"She just like attention in general" Serena laughed

"That's where you get it from" Blair teased her friend

"Ha, ha" Serena replied "So getting back to the real point, what's going on with Nate and you?" she asked

"Nothing new, we're just hanging out" Blair replied

"A lot. Your hanging out like you were dating sort of deal" Serena said

"But we're not. Nate and I are still friends" Blair told her

"Friends? B, I don't even think you believe that. Nate and you have never been friends" Serena replied

"Which is why I'm welcoming this new phase to our relationship" Blair replied

"Nate wants more than friendship, you and I both know that" Serena pointed out

"And losing the focus on being friends is how we ended up ending so badly, well that and the fact that you two managed…" Blair said before Serena quickly interrupted

"Okay, I think we should move beyond that tiny little detail" Serena said in an desperate attempt to change the subject "You two belong together" she told her

"I'm sure in a once upon a time land that I would have believed that, but I'm trying to see what life is outside of Nate" Blair told her as Serena just laughed "What's so funny?" she asked

"B, your dependable. Your predictable, you're the loyal one of the four of us, you're the one person that dares to never be different" Serena said as a part of Blair took offense to what she had said

"Somewhere in that sentence was an insult" Blair replied "I'm just trying to figure out was I slit or stabbed" she then said

"I didn't mean it as an insult, I just simply meant to say that all you've ever known is Nate. Your future is Nate, while Chuck and me are daring the lines of a possible unplanned pregnancy and a future sexually transmitted disease" Serena said "Saying that out loud just makes me realize that maybe the rumors are true about me" she said to herself

"Some, but not all…lets face it, you are a hoe or you used to be" Blair replied

"Yes, key word is used to be. Nate is your destiny, you two are the fairytale to come in this screwed up world of ours and its only a matter of time before you two will get back together" Serena said as Blair just sat in confusion "You're the only two people that everyone knows will end up together" she stated

"And if we don't?" Blair asked

"It's going to happen, it is happening….you just have to let it, and embrace the love" Serena said

* * *

><p>What Serena had told her last night seemed to stay with Blair longer than she intended it to, the very thought that there was all ready expectations when it came to her relationship with Nate; just made her feel as if those expectations that she had of herself were just piling up. Her body felt so tense and it just made her feel so uptight than her usual self, the minions had taken the brunt of her anger at school but she knew the only recipe for these feelings were to schedule an appointment with Dr. Han as soon as possible. She was confident in herself to know that she wasn't going to go back to old habits but at the same time, this is how it felt in the beginning when things began with her bulimia. The staff had made a good attempt to avoid any form of conversation with her, which she hated in some odd way seeing as she was all ready talked about amongst the staff when she was on her period, but for over something Serena had told her….that just irked her even more. Becoming irritated with her magazine, she finally tossed to the side as she just slouched in her chair just wanting all of this frustration to end. Running her hand through her hair, she took deep breaths as the main focus for her was to just calm down and find some calm in herself. Slowly getting to that point as she rested her forehead on the coolness of the glass table, she soon heard the elevator door open and she rolled her eyes at the universes way of denying her chance for a moment of peace. Raising her head, she looked up to see a grinning Humphrey walking towards her and all ready she was coming up with a list of insults for him just by his appearance.<p>

"I want peace, and the universe sends you. Clearly karma is catching up to me" Blair said as Dan just looked at her

"You look horrible" Dan commented as she sarcastically smiled at him

"Didn't you get the memo, avoid Blair day" Blair said as she folded her arms in her lap

"Yeah, Rizo text me during third period" Dan replied as Blair just shook her head in disbelief

"Thanks a lot Rizo!" Blair yelled as she turned towards the kitchen and all they could hear was a sudden clash of dishes of a nervous Rizo reacting to her yell

"Don't blame him. You being pissed has been the basic news through out school" Dan told her

"Well then it should come as no surprise to you that I want to be left alone then" Blair said as she rose from her seat

"Wish I could do that, but we have to finish our assignment and I think I know how we can get that accomplished" Dan told her

"My mind is mush right now, I don't see myself focusing on an assignment right now…so consider your attempt a failure" Blair told him

"I would but I really don't care if you bitch and complain at me because I'm all ready used to it" Dan told her as he walked over towards the closet to grab her coat

"Uh, put my coat down" Blair told him as he held her coat out towards her

"C'mon, we're going somewhere" Dan told her

"No. We're not going anywhere, your going home but I'm not going anywhere" Blair replied

"Will you stop being so difficult, you know you want to see what I want to show you" Dan smiled

"Humphrey, I'm in no mood for sexual innuendos" Blair stated

"It wasn't a sexual reference, will you get your mind out of the gutter. Just put your coat on, and trust that I have everything under control" Dan said as he took her arm and put her coat sleeve on

"Me trusting you will never happen" Blair told him

"And yet you…" Dan said before Blair stomped on his feet causing in him groan in pain as he rested his head on her shoulder from the back of her

"Continue the sexual references and the next one will be to the other area of almost importance" Blair said

"Point proven" Dan managed to say through much pain

**I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you**

**You wanna touch me too**

**Every way and when they set me free**

**Just put your hands on me**

Looking on at the variety of people that they had suddenly become surrounded by, Blair couldn't help but feel like she was out of her element in this one. So used to the formal wear and the usual jewelry that was sure to cost that of an arm or a leg, she noticed that everyone here was dressed so simple and plain like Dan. A slight smirk came to her face as her many insults about his attire seemed to be so true, when she had finally seen for herself what exactly is appropriate in Brooklyn. Coming back with tickets in hand, Blair looked on at Dan with much confusion in her face as she thought he had clearly lost his mind if he thought that she was going to go into that germ infested area. Noticing her attention go towards the bright lights that Coney Island had to offer, he turned around to see the wonder wheel all lit up in the night sky. A smile came to his face as he couldn't wait to finally go back to the childlike atmosphere that only Coney Island could give him. Going behind her, he wouldn't allow her to make her mind up on the place just yet, so he just pushed her from behind until she finally agreed to just go inside without letting her comment on anything. Greeted by the park staff, they gave their tickets before they each received their wristbands. Leading her inside, he turned to look at her as they stood in the center of the madness as all he could do was give her the biggest of smiles that only made her wish that she could hit him once more for bringing her here.

**Tonight I'm weak, ****it's just another day without you**

**I can't sleep, I gave the world away for you to**

**Hear me say, don't throw me away**

**There's no way out, I gotta hold you somehow**

Coming off the peak of the roller coaster, a sigh of relief came to Dan as he hadn't quite prepared himself well enough for the speed of the ride. Looking over the side of the rail, he nearly began to freak out as he saw that they had another drop coming that he hoped he wouldn't puke up his food on. Gripping on tight to the rail in their cart, Blair just laughed at how much of a coward he was. Of all people, she thought Dan Humphrey would be able to handle a simple roller coaster ride with a few loops. Approaching the drop, Blair looked over at him once more as he took deep breaths before she put her hands in the air to embrace the drop. Letting out screams of horror, Dan couldn't help but let out a few laughs here and there about how Blair Waldorf of all people was able to take a roller coaster ride over him. Getting off the ride, Blair continued to laugh as all Dan could do was try to appreciate stable ground. Finally coming to a point where he was okay, he quickly pointed out the cotton candy booth to Blair before they walked over to grab some. She'd never admit to it, but she was slowly starting to open up to the fun that she was having in the parts of unknown outside of the Upper Eastside and was starting to realize that it wasn't as bad as she thought.

**All I wanna do is touch you**

**I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you**

**You wanna touch me too**

**Everyday but I all I have is time**

**Our love's the perfect crime**

Dipping her corn dog in the pile of mustard then into the ketchup, she took a moment to think before she finally just took a bite out of the corn dog. As a child growing up, Eleanor wasn't exactly a fan of the fried foods due to calories and all that stuff that she used to tell Blair as a little girl, but now that she was older, she was intrigued to try doughy goodness that Dan raved about. Food in general was Dan's favorite thing, Blair had always teased him that every time she'd see him around the penthouse he was always stuffing his face with something. Coming to enjoy the love he had for food, Blair felt like in this moment she had made real progress from over analyzing what she ate to just finally eating and not carrying about the outcome. Looking on at her just living in the moment, Dan knew that it was big for her to just carelessly eat the way she was eating, especially after everything that she had been through. It was in these moments, where he felt like he could truly see the real her and not the image that she wanted people to see. This version of her, he'd like to believe that only few got to see and he was glad to say that he was one of them that got to see Blair at her good and bad moments. Though he didn't know her as well as Serena, he knew that they had a mutual respect and understanding of each other.

**I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you**

**You wanna touch me too**

**Every way and when they set me free**

**Just put your hands on me**

Placing her hand up against the glass, Blair looked on in amazement at the sea turtle looking back at her. It had been years since she had ever truly seen an animal that wasn't either gourmet or about to be gourmet, in this moment she was just in true amazement of the different types of creatures that she had seen. A smile came to her face as the turtle began to show off in front of her by doing his little tricks. Standing back just laughing at the turtle, Dan could tell that she was enjoying herself and wasn't secretly trying to escape like she had threatened to do on the way over. He knew she'd never admit it, but it seemed as if she really needed something like this to get her mind off of all that was stressful in her world right now. Saddened that this was the last animal on their brochure left to see, Blair reluctantly made her way out of the aquarium but she had vowed to herself to come back to see her sea turtle. The amusement park had began to wind down as closing time was slowly approaching, Dan was just glad that they made it in good timing that way they could enjoy all the rides. For a while as they walked towards the amusement park, they both hadn't said much to each other but just laughed as they brought up stuff that had occurred throughout the night on their adventures in Coney Island. Caught up in the laughter, Blair and Dan were caught off guard to see Nate's sudden appearance as he walked towards them. Giving a quick glance over at Dan, Blair could see that he was just as surprised as her before she turned her attention back to Nate.

"Nate, what are you doing here?" Blair asked as she walked up to him

"Serena told me that you two were out here trying to clear you heads for some project" Nate replied

"English project, Emily Dickinson" Dan said

"Yeah, and I just came from hanging with Chuck…so I thought I would catch up with you" Nate said

"Oh, so you were in the neighborhood?" Blair asked

"Something like that. I was hoping that we could talk about that question I asked you" Nate smiled

"Because you want to know if you have a date to Lilly's engagement party" Blair laughed nervously "Your too transparent Nate" she said as she ran her hand through her hair

"I figured if I could surprise you, then you'd see me trying" Nate said as he grabbed her hand, which caught both Blair and Dan's attention

"Well, if you two are going to talk…I should get going" Dan said as he began to walk ahead

"Are you going to work on the paper?" Blair asked turning her attention to Dan

"Yeah…" Dan replied before Blair turned back to Nate

"I really have to do this assignment or I could basically kiss Yale goodbye" Blair told him

"No, its okay…I can do the assignment. I even picked out the poem" Dan said "I think it's a good fit" he said

"See, the universe is telling you to take a break" Nate smiled at her

"What poem? It can't just be any poem Humphrey" Blair asked

"The Soul Selects Her Own Society" Dan told her as Blair just looked at him in a sense that it was the right fit

"That's a good one" Blair replied

"See, I'm smart" Dan smiled weakly at her "Have a goodnight you two" he said to Nate before he turned to leave. Putting his hands in his pockets, all he wanted to do was keep walking and fight off the urge to look back because if he did, then he knew he'd think less of her for letting him back in so easily. He had to keep walking because there was no option of looking back for him, literally and figuratively he began to realize. Making his way out of the amusement park, he put his hand up to hail a taxi and hoped that he'd get one in the next moment so that he wouldn't have to be in the same vicinity as the two of them. Pulling his cell phone out as he just gave up hope of a taxi coming any time soon, he went to his contact list to call Carter as he walked towards the Subway station.

"What's up Bella?" Carter answered the phone

"You were right" Dan said "I'd be dumb to end things with Serena" he told his friend

"Glad to hear I'm right, but what brought this on….I thought you were going to be all Mr. Do Good?" he asked

"I just…I just had a change in heart. I mean I'm in a state of confusion, and no clear headed decision can be made in this state until I figure it out" Dan said

"I like how your thinking, never saw it that way, but like how your thinking" Carter replied

* * *

><p>Finding herself in this continual position, Blair once again sat with her hands folded promptly on her legs as she had to endure the wait out in the lobby. She had been her a few times to learn that favoritism wasn't going to be shown due to her residence, so she had come to expect the wait…but she still hated it. Last night, Nate had pretty much made a declaration of love to her and although she knew how he felt, and how she felt about him, she just felt like there was this uncertainty when it came to them that she wasn't sure about. Every voice inside of her head wanted to take more time to think, but she could hear Serena's words replay in her head and she just felt as if she couldn't fight the inevitable anymore. She loved Nate, she always had and she had to believe that with love came the hard parts of questioning that love, so in good faith that they were trying to get over the hard part of their love story, she had decided to get back together with him. Most girls would have been happy, but a part of her felt as if something was off about her decision, like she had done this to put everything back in balance but yet it still felt off kilter. She could only imagine the rant that Humphrey was going to do once her found out, but she didn't have time to focus on Dan and his judgmental ways…well she thought about what he would say, but she figured she'd have to deal with it when she dealt with it .Getting lost in her thoughts, she was soon greeted by Dr. Han, who had the cordial smile on his face that tried to convey that he was glad to see her but she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't excited to see her like he pretended to be . Following behind him to his office, she felt somewhat free to be in a space of higher knowledge. She was glad to be back in her comfort zone once again because she needed to be here at this point. Taking his seat, he quickly grabbed his notepad and pen to jot down a few organizational notes for his own purposes before he looked over at her.<p>

"So what brings about this emergency session as you called it to the nurse?" Dr. Han asked with a bit of a laugh

"Your not supposed to laugh" Blair replied

"With you Blair, I need humor where I can get it" Dr. Han said as he looked at her

"This is my life, not some comedy show…I mean I'm really starting to see the root of all my insecurities….it's the fact that I have this crazy ass life" Blair told him

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Dr. Han asked

"It happened again" Blair replied

"What happened?" Dr. Han asked as Blair took a moment to think

"Just how clad proof is this whole doctor, patient confidentiality agreement. Are we talking you can be on death row type of deal or just a fine?" Blair asked

"Okay, I'm afraid to answer that question on accounts that you sound crazy" Dr. Han said

"How iron clad?" Blair asked

"It's pretty iron clad, it's like steel" Dr. Han said

"Steel as in bars, in which you'll be behind if you so much as breath a word of what I'm about to tell you?" Blair asked

"Blair" Dr. Han said

"I'm doing something that I shouldn't be doing" Blair blurted out

"As far as your disorder is concerned?" Dr. Han asked a bit worried

"No, I haven't done that in almost three months now" Blair replied putting his mind at ease "I mean I'm doing something that's a little out of my comfort zone…it's the furthest thing from what I would usually do, and its starting to eat away at me but then it's kind of not" she told him

"So anything out of your comfort zone is considered wrong?" Dr. Han asked

"Basically" Blair said "It's like I hate doing it, but I can't stop myself from doing it because in the moment it feels….it feels, I'm unsure of how it feels but its not bad…does that make sense?" she asked

"Yes, your not sure if you like it but you know you don't hate it. Do you care to share on what this something is?" Dr. Han asked

"In fear of being seen in a negative light, I'm afraid I can't" Blair told him

"But I can help better if I knew what the something was" Dr. Han reasoned

"The something is something, that's all I want to divulge" Blair said

"In fear of being seen in a bad light?" Dr. Han asked

"Yes" Blair said "Is this something wrong or right to be doing if this something could potentially be bad?" she asked

"I think anything that could potentially be bad is wrong, but I think its how you base it. Sometimes when you do something out of your comfort zone then you look for a reason to think something is wrong, when all it is trying something new" Dr. Han said

"But this new thing is being tried by someone else, I'm just trying it because its there all the time and occasionally can be appealing" Blair said

"But it something you would never do?" Dr. Han asked

"That's the problem, I keep doing the something" Blair muttered to herself

"What was that?" Dr. Han asked

"I mean this something could be a problem" Blair said

"In your mind. Blair the main reason you got to the point of becoming bulimic was because you had these notions of perfection. You base your world on trying to achieve it, but you have to realize that nothing is perfect…people aren't perfect, things aren't perfect, life isn't perfect. So if something has you off kilter its because you didn't plan for it, and I think maybe doing something unplanned may do you a bit of good" Dr. Han told her

"But what if this something is wrong?" Blair asked

"And what if this something is right?…you'll never know. Live in the moment, and set your notions aside…embrace all the imperfections" Dr. Han told her as she took a moment to think about what he was saying to her

* * *

><p><strong>Moment of honesty <strong>

**Someone's gotta take the lead tonight **

**Whose it gonna be? **

**I'm gonna sit right here **

**And tell you all that comes to me **

**If you have something to say **

**You should say it right now **

**You ready? **

The lights flickered off of the crystal as it gave off the true feel of lavish and expensive to the young girl, for what she had perceived to be a gold colored theme, all Jenny could do was just imagine what it would be like to truly be engrained in that world. She had wondered for the longest to where she came to the realization that she'd always be the outsider looking in on those who had that life. Putting her hand to the glass to think that in all actuality that she could really touch what had become a dream to her, she slowly felt her fantasy slip away from her and she wasn't sure if she was finally ready to let it go or if it was ever there to begin with. Lilly's engagement party had been the talk throughout the week and was sure to be more of the conversation starter in the Upper Eastside until the final event, which was the wedding. Noticing Eric standing with a group of girls, she could see him engaging in conversation and actually enjoying himself. Never had she imagined that even he would be something unattainable, but to see him in where he belonged just felt like the final piece of her crappy night. Finally getting enough of the view, Jenny turned to walk away in hopes of keeping some bit of dignity. Coming out from the shadows, Chuck threw down his cigarette before he stepped on it to put it out completely as he looked on at his prey, knowing that with each rejection that she was facing, it would be a matter of time before she realized her only option.

**You give me a feeling that I never felt before **

**And I deserve it, I think I deserve it **

**It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore **

**And I can't take it **

Allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist, Blair rested her chin on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. There used to be a time where the only right place for her to be was to be in his arms, in general she longed for these moments, but even though she wanted to be in his arms, she felt as if she shut the door on ever knowing what would life be out of his arms. Scanning the dance floor as the other couples danced to the music, she couldn't help but look at Dan and Serena together. In her heart she knew that they were good together, but in her mind she just couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Meeting her gaze, Blair felt in that minute he could hear the unspoken words that she had going through her head that was just filled with so much uncertainty. He was something so unfamiliar to her in this world, he came from a side of town that no respectable girl would ever view as a solid back round good enough to introduce to your parents let alone in society, he was wrong for so many reasons and although he was out of her comfort zone, she couldn't allow herself to get caught up in finding out. Tearing her eyes away from his, she hid her face in the nape of Nate's neck as all she wanted to do was enjoy her night with Nate.

**I was wondering maybe **

**Could I make you my baby **

**If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy **

**If you ask me **

**I'm ready **

**If you ask me **

**I'm ready **

Holding back tears, she couldn't allow herself to shed one, at least not in public for the world to see. The night air slowly began to catch up to her as she gripped on tight to her thin layered sweater. She was only a few blocks away, and yet to her, it felt like she was a million miles away from the loft. Keeping her mind off the distance, she tried to hum songs that she liked but found that her play list was becoming shorter by the minute and that the few she had weren't going to last her long enough to at least make it back to the loft. Letting out a sigh of frustration at the constant unrelenting reality that she will always be the but of the joke, she couldn't help but notice a black limo pull up beside her. Usually she would have stopped to get a full on look on who it was, but she had seen this limo enough times to realize that it was the Bass limo. Slowing her pace a little bit, she hoped that Chuck hadn't come to retrieve her answer on them sealing the deal as he came to call it for her overnight popularity. The limo had come to a complete stop, before he had finally opened the door to get out. Not wanting to deal with the pressures of deciding to give up her virginity, Jenny ran across every excuse in her mind on what she should tell him that would buy her more time. Just as she was narrowing down her excuses, she was surprised to see him wave off the driver before he took his jacket off. Unsure if she was being punked, Jenny looked around in confusion to see if he had the limo pull up a block or two but he offered her his jacket, it all seemed to dawn on her that he had intended for the driver to leave. Questioning his gesture, he gave her a smile that let her know that he was sincere before she finally put the jacket on. Leading the way on their journey back to the loft, a smile came to her face as she never expected him to be her walking partner.

* * *

><p>He hated that he even came back because he was almost sure that he was going to see something that he didn't want to see, but he needed to get his usb for other assignments. A part of him wanted to believe that he didn't need it and that he was just making excuses to hang around, but as he ran down the items that were on the usb he hated to admit that he truly had to get it back. Anxiously wanting the elevator ride to end, Dan's wish was quickly obliged once the elevator doors opened. Taking a deep breath as if he needed to prepare himself, he stepped off the elevator and began to scan the penthouse to see that everyone had all ready left for the night, which was no surprise to him. Passing the living room area, he was quickly caught off guard when he heard the turning of a page come. Looking over in that direction, he let out a laugh of disbelief as it was only fitting that Blair was still up. Waiting for Nate to make his appearance, Dan just stood there as Blair got up from her seat to show that she had his usb in her hand. Standing in silence for a few moments, they each weren't quite sure on what they should say to each other because they hadn't really known where the others head was at.<p>

"You have my usb" Dan told her as he broke the silence

"Yeah, I found it in my room when I came in" Blair said before she handed it over to him

"I left it that night" Dan said not wanting to make a reference to that night, but ended up doing so anyways uncontrollably

"Figured that's how it ended up in there" Blair said

"Well, I should be going. I'll see you tomorrow" Dan said as he quickly turned to leave

"I'm not going to break up with him" Blair quickly blurted out as he stopped in front of the elevator

"That's good, I mean you love him and he kind of loves you" Dan replied

"Don't say that" Blair told him

"What do you expect me to say? Congratulations?" Dan asked

"No, I don't expect congratulations. You just don't have to be rude about it" Blair said

"Congratulations" Dan said as he extended his hand towards her before she shook his hand out of spite "And just so you know, I'm not breaking up with Serena" he said

"You were going to break up with her?" Blair asked

"Yes, for the obvious reasons" Dan said "But I've come to realize that I do want to give us a try" he said

"A try? That sounds like something you throw half the effort into" Blair told him

"Well, I'm trying" Dan told her as she just looked at him

"We shouldn't have to let the people we care about go, I mean we're with them for a reason" Blair said

"My reason is clear, but what's yours?" Dan asked

"You know this bickering could go both ways because I'm positive that your being a hypocrite right now" Blair pointed out to him

"Okay, fine. Yes, we're with them for reasons" Dan agreed

"See, was it that hard?" Blair asked him

"Don't patronize me Waldorf" Dan sighed as the dreaded silence came between them again

"You had asked me about what I thought about that night" Blair said

"And in true Blair fashion, you ignored the question" Dan replied

"I enjoyed it" Blair quickly blurted out to where it caught him off guard in the moment "I went beyond enjoying it, it was….it was really good" she told him

"Which time?" Dan asked

"Humphrey" Blair told him

"Okay, I'll refrain from that" Dan said

"I think we've made it clear that we want our relationships, but I have this part of me that can't quite figure this out…I mean I've tried to chalk that night up to a horrid mistake, but when it happened again…" Blair said before Dan interrupted

"It wasn't just a mistake" Dan concluded

"So I've realized that we have a problem. A big problem, because as much as I would like to say that it was the worst night of my life…I can't say that because it wasn't…it was one of the best, you know, sexually speaking" Blair said

"Yes, sexually speaking" Dan laughed

"So, usually I would put distance between us and just avoid you like the plague, but I think that I want to stop avoiding you" Blair said as Dan looked at her with much confusion

"What are you saying?" Dan asked

"I'm saying that I'm ready to stop avoiding you" Blair said "I'll never know what this thing is if I don't figure it out, but then again I don't want to over analyze it…so I'm just getting out my comfort zone" she told him

"I'm still lost because it sounds like you want Nate, but you want me" Dan concluded

"I know that sounds bad, but your right…I want Nate, and I want you" Blair said

"It can't work like that" Dan replied "I can't just….this is insane" he tried to reason

"Yes, it is because every fiber in me can't stand you, but yet there is this gravitation to you that somehow each time manages to get my clothes off" Blair said

"So we'll be…" Dan said before Blair interrupted

"I don't want to define or label…I just want to do" Blair said "That sounded like a sexual reference, but it wasn't intended to be" she told him

"I know" Dan replied "So are we just the others secret or something until we figure what this is?" he asked

"I mean we'd have to be, why risk the sure thing on something uncertain" Blair said as Dan just laughed "What's so funny?" she asked

"Lets just say I've heard that saying or that belief" Dan replied

"So how about it? Do you want to be my dirty little secret?" Blair asked him as he took a moment to think. Under no circumstance would he have ever allowed things to get to this point, he was too decent of a guy to let things manifest to point where he was someone's secret. As much as he wanted to depend on his morals and do the right thing, the right thing just escaped him as he just became a prisoner of the moment. Quickly leaning in towards her, he captured her lips in a savage like manner as she pulled him closer towards her.

* * *

><p>It was late into the night, when she had heard the vibration of the phone hit against the wood of her dresser, which made it nearly impossible to ignore for the young girl. She wondered on who it could be and if it was really worth waking up to answer, but the constant thought over this call eventually lead to her giving in. Throwing the covers off of her, she reached over to grab her cell phone to see that it was her mother calling. For a moment she wondered if she should answer or just let it go to voicemail. Ideas running back and forth on what she should do, Jenny eventually ended up answering the call as she sat up in the bed.<p>

"Hey mom" Jenny said still half asleep

"Hey, sweetheart. I barely just got your message, I'm sorry it took so long" Alison said "What'd you want to talk to me about?" she asked

"Oh…uh" Jenny said trying to think of a good way to get out of not telling her mother the real reason why she called originally "I just called to ask you about a story" she said

"A story?" Alison asked

"Yeah, you told the best stories when I was little, and I just missed you and your stories because you know dad is horrible at story telling" Jenny said

"Aren't you a little old for stories?" Alison laughed as she asked her daughter

"I know, but I just needed to hear your voice" Jenny replied

"Okay, well what story did you want to hear?" Alison asked

"Can you tell me the story about dethroning a queen?" Jenny asked

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics Used in this Chapter:**

**Bon Iver- Creature Fear [Heard this song on Chuck, and I loved it. It weird in the beginning but I love the chorus :)]**

**All American Rejects- I Wanna**

**Alicia Keys- Unthinkable**

**Author's Note: I can feel the what the hell is going on? circling in some of your minds, and I love it. Jk. This chapter I felt like it had a Eyes Wide Shut sort of feel to it, in some odd way as I was writing it...I don't know, I just kept thinking that. Well anyways, time for me to explain. The crowd favorite **sarcasm** Jenny is just on the continual spiral of going nowhere but down, and I had to give Eric some man pride, and finally let him tell her how he felt and not just run back to her. So big ups to Eric. Lol. Jenny is just losing everything that makes her the girl that she was before entering into the Upper Eastside, so that way her transition into her new role as we all know her as in the first season makes sense. In this chapter I wanted to show that she's really caught in a cross road where she stuck with dealing family issues and realizing she alienated her family and her last person is Eric, but even that doesn't pan out for her. Her rejections are just making her more susceptible to Chuck and his plot for her. I do plan to get explain why on Chuck in further chapters, but know he has his reasons...but then again, its Chuck. I can say that I am truly excited for the big, big, big event to happen to Jenny because I think her story will pick up more afterwards and maybe you guys will like her, but everything now is just the build up to the real crowd favorite, DAIR! right now they are just in a state of confusion because they can't stand each other but yet they've managed to have sex with each other twice. The feelings are still uncertain to both of them, but Dan is showing his jealousy side...its peaking out a little bit. I didn't want to throw them into feelings quite yet because I wanted them to discover and have the true beginnings of their feelings because as you know a kiss is never just a kiss in tv and sex is never just sex...well less in case your Serena in GG land on tv. So they're realizing that there is a reason behind everything and them ignoring the reason isn't getting them anywhere, but at the same time they acknowledge or have acknowledged that they did enjoy the sex. So I guess you could say that they are officially having an affair now. The love story is there but I wanted to combine into the intrigue or the aura of this world and that is that there is betrayal, lies, secrets, and lust...I want them to have to work towards things and never just fall into something because then the fun goes. I'm trying to write this as episodic as possible.**

**I do want to drop some spoilers since I have left you guys waiting for so long, and because I treasure the reviews and I want you to keep reading because I'm uber excited for what's to come, so if you don't like spoilers then don't read on after the dots...**

**Chuck/Jenny - Chuck's plan is coming along very nicely like planned, but it will all get blown to shreds by a single act that will change everything between them.**

**Dan/Blair- They will be heating it up for the next few chapters**

**Dan/Nate/Blair/Serena- Interesting rectangle or quad, expect things to get intense with all four of them as their relationships reach new heights.**


	14. The Blair Bitch Project

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews, I truly appreciate them. I knew the whole affair was going to be the main topic that you guys would bring up in the reviews, got mixed feelings about it but just keep reading, I always try to put reasoning behind the madness. So please stay tuned. Also this is the time where I ask if you want a remixed season two? so in your reviews please let me know. Also just like the season, there is only 4 More Chapters Left! and I have to say that I'm excited for them. So I hope you enjoy the read :)**

**Chapter Fourteen- The Blair Bitch Project**

Reaching out towards his cup, Chuck took a slow and lingering sip of his coffee as the girl just looked on at him. Earlier that morning she had divulged her plan to a bold task that not many had attempted at Constance, but she felt as if this could be a good option for her. In her mind she had ran through the scenarios of how this could turn out, and she couldn't help but feel like if she actually pulled this off then it would be historic for her and would make her the new trend topic at school. Putting his cup down, Chuck had rushed to words as he just still lived in the slow and lingering aspects of the moment while he pondered for a minute. Rubbing his hands together before bringing them up to his forehead to massage his temple, Jenny couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration just by that gesture. Noticing the look of defeat on her face, he took a moment to really think about how he was going to go about this with her because his blunt honesty hadn't gotten him anywhere before with her. Stopping all of his condescending gestures, he soon focused in on the girl that allowed her to see that he was willing to have open conversation with her.

"I admire the attempt. Really, its….admirable" Chuck told her before the hotel manager came up

"There was a problem earlier Mr. Bass?" The hotel manager asked

"I need you guys to make sure that I'm not receiving pointless mail. I have documents coming through that are important, and I only want those documents, not the unimportant crap" Chuck told him

"Could you be more specific?" The hotel manager asked

"Example, one million dollar worth contract verses two dollars worth of coupons to a local grocery store. Which one do you think I give a damn about?" Chuck asked

"I will take care of it Mr. Bass" The hotel manager smiled before he left them alone

"You all ready said admire" Jenny quickly pointed out as she tried to get his attention

"Which it is, but I fear that you haven't really thought this through" Chuck said

"Thought this through? All I've been doing for the past week is thinking things through….and let me tell you, I've had plenty of sappy moments that I don't care to share with you, but it wasn't pretty" Jenny replied

"And this is what you came back with, to overthrow Blair?" Chuck asked her

"I was doing history homework and I was reading about Mary the first of England…." Jenny said before Chuck quickly interrupted in confusion

"She was never overthrown, she failed to produce an heir to the thrown, but never over thrown" Chuck replied

"Okay, well somewhere in my history book I read that someone got over thrown. I didn't think much of it, and then I just thought look how liked that person was after they overthrew the so called Queen" Jenny told him

"Then clearly you haven't read too far in that book" Chuck laughed to himself

"What's so funny? I thought you said you would help me?" Jenny asked

"I told you the ways I would help, and yet we're still here….clothed" Chuck replied

"And we'll still be clothed. I'm not just jumping in the bed with you, I'm not so two bit tramp" Jenny told him "This is an option I'm willing to take" she said

"Sleeping with me would do you more favors than that" Chuck laughed

"Okay, where is the flaw then?" Jenny asked

"Where isn't there a flaw?" Chuck questioned "Look, being Queen your put under much scrutiny and under the social media eye. There is lot more than having your airhead followers, who do as you say. What you fail to see is that there is certain standard or guideline in order to be Queen Bee….and Blair follows it like art" he said

"How?" Jenny asked

**I hate to say it but they play this damn song in every club**

**But it's me so I'll show love**

**But it's me so show me love**

**_["Number one, hereditary principalities. Those born into the social latter of the Upper Eastside are all ready familiar with the prominent families, and are aware of rank. Your taught at a young age, who is who and why they're there" Chuck told the eager young woman]_**

People flooded into the over sized conference room to hear the oncoming speech of the Maxwell Glibner Award recipient. The Maxwell Award had been that of envy to any successful business or corporation in the Upper Eastside, so much so that it had turned into a blood bath on how people managed to get this prestigious award. For the past six years, Eleanor Waldorf, hadn't broke away from tradition with her constant acceptance of this award, as she not only rose as the top business woman, but a woman in general with consecutive successes in her industry. With her latest deal that had branched out to Japan and Brazil, she had put herself well ahead of the pact in winning. Knowing that every form of media was on them, Blair leaned in to kiss her mother's best side knowing that this moment would most likely be the moment that would be placed in newspapers and magazine. Smiling from ear to ear, Blair rose with the other guests that were attendance as her mother took to the stage to give her speech. Eleanor played the shock look as long as she could before she finally just acknowledged that she was in fact the well deserved winnder of the Maxwell Glibner Award.

"I would first like to start of by thanking two very important in my life, whom without them none of this is possible. Jesus Christ, and my daughter, Blair Waldorf. There is no doubt in my mind that someday Blair will be up here, holding up her own Maxwell" Eleanor spoke proudly of her daughter but ultimately giving her daughter a shining endorsement for her future prospects.

**_["That moment right there is not just a simple shout out to family, its endorsement. You have businesses, college reps, corporation heads, fortune five hundreds, moguls, and any person with a black card in that room. With that single statement she had placed Blair ahead of the pact because people always want to invest in a winner. All of that stems from hereditary principalities because Eleanor is as close as you get to the highest peak of the social latter, which automatically puts Blair at the top…."]_**

**When I walk into the room people stop and stare**

**It's like nobody else is there**

**You know it's me not you**

**Who said anything about you**

**_["This one pertains to you, new blood acquired with arms and fortune. Basically people, who luck into their roles. This one would have to be her favorite because Waldorf always enjoys the games. People like this are weak and simply don't know how to maintain their new found position of popularity….no offense" Chuck told her as Jenny began to fell more defeated by the moment with all that she was hearing]_**

_**[Flashback]**_

_**It had been well documented that Mickey Arrison, a rap superstar, had taken his rhyming skills to the politics of business and had struck oil with it. Not hearing about the Arrison's had been that of a good day because it became an overkill for those who weren't buying into the new money aspect of social climbing. Lisa Arrison, Mickey's teenage daughter, had been all the buzz around the Upper Eastside as she had left the sunny beaches of California to migrate to New York for schooling, just to be closer to Mickey. There had only been random pictures of Lisa with her father out at Oprah's Gala functions or the private Kennedy events, and just with those two names on her resume, she was all ready guaranteed into the inner circle. Lisa had played up the good girl role as good as anyone coming into a new surroundings, which only broadened her appeal to the outside world. Showing up at Constance with her usual brigade of town cars that had her security and her publicists for possible statements asked before school hours, Lisa stepped out of her towns car and preceded to make her way up the staircase. Hearing the bell ring for classes, she couldn't help but to finally be rid of her entourage because she knew her every movement was documented for media purposes. Entering into the hallway, Lisa was quickly followed by her group of minions that she seemed more in awe of her than true friends. Giving her million dollar smile at every boy that batted an eye at her, Lisa was quickly caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a brunette. Giving a quick run down of the brunette, she couldn't help but notice the head band that the girl wore on her head.**_

_**"I don't think we've officially met, I'm Blair Waldorf" Blair introduced herself as she extended her hand out to Lisa**_

_**"Nice to meet you Blair Waldorf" Lisa replied awkwardly "I'm…" she said before Blair quickly cut her off**_

_**"I know who you are" Blair smiled before he tilted her head to look on a few of Lisa's minions that were once hers a short time ago "Ladies" she greeted the traitors**_

_**"Waldorf" The girls replied not too thrilled to acknowledge Blair but knew they had to in order to keep things civil**_

_**"I just want to welcome you on your first day of school, I feel like with all the talk about the Arrison family that you've been here for years" Blair said**_

_**"The media does have a tendency to blow things out of proportion, but my dad is handling it" Lisa said "Excuse me, I have to get to class" she said as she tried to walk past Blair, but Blair had quickly cut her off**_

_**"It's funny that you mention the media, I mean they do tend to be repetitive with the same stories. How many times is Brangelina going to be madly in love, be pregnant, split up, Brad's secret rendezvous with Jennifer, and adopt" Blair said as she began to laugh to herself before she looked back at her own minions to see them looking on with much attention. Pulling her phone out, Katy opened up her phone to see the message she had been waiting for before a smile slowly came to her face. Noticing Katy's facial expression, Blair turned her attention back towards Lisa "Repetition does tend to get annoying at times" she smiled**_

_**"I'm glad you understand" Lisa said as she faked a smile before once again trying to get around Blair**_

_**"But I do love a good scandal" Blair stated "Especially the one about rap superstar slash newbie business mogul's daughter sleeping with the CEO of Conroy's. I forget, just what significance is Conroy's" she turned to ask Isobel**_

_**"Oh, Conroy's just has the majority hold on stocks that are worth millions, when invested right" Isobel replied**_

_**"So basically if someone were to get their hands on these stocks then they'd catapult to a business mogul?" Blair asked as she looked a horrified Lisa dead in the eyes**_

_**"Of course. You could even go from a rap superstar to a business mogul" Katy smiled as Blair just laughed knowing that she had Lisa right where she wanted him**_

_**"It's not what you think" Lisa quickly tried to reason as the whispers amongst her minions were becoming apparent "It was an accident" she tried to defend**_

_**"Wearing simple laced underwear in a possible sexual encounter is an accident. Wearing Victoria Secret, that means your fully aware…..so spare that excuse" Blair replied**_

_**"What do you want?" Lisa asked "How can we make this go away?" she asked**_

_**"Book a flight back to California, and stay there because I'd hate to be you when this leaks out in about two minutes…" Blair said before Isobel handed over a plane ticket "Where are my manners, I forgot that I took the liberty of booking you a plane ticket back to California…economy of course, you'll need that money for other reasons. Then convince Conroy CEO you boned to bring down the share to recession prices…" she said before Lisa interrupted**_

_**"The stock is worth millions? There is no way he'd go for that" Lisa replied**_

_**"He will when his pregnant wife, who happens to be the first cousins to the Kennedy's, gets wind of this…..you really should take the Marilyn Monroe route, either sleep with a Kennedy or just keep your legs clothes in hopes for one" Blair told the girl "Sell the share to recession prices and then we'll go from there" she said**_

_**"But Eleanor was the next highest bid in that bidding war…it'll go to your mother" One of the traitor minions stated as Blair just smiled at her**_

_**"Thirty seconds" Katy stated**_

_**"Have fun, enjoy that sun…you probably won't see much of that with you being in hiding from the media…enjoy the dim litted lights then" Blair smiled as she took her phone to take a picture of Lisa**_

_**"What's that for?" Lisa asked sadly**_

_**"In honor of another rap star that I like….I wanted to have that moment for life" Blair smiled devilishly at her before she quickly turned and headed down the hallway with her minions following close behind. In a matter of seconds, every cell phone had erupted with the shocking revelation of Lisa Arrison, and all Blair could do was smile in sheer victory of the moment.**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

**Boys and girls pretend to know me, they try so hard**

**And I get what I want, my name is my credit card**

**Don't try to hate me because I am so popular..**

**Pop, pop, popular! **

**Pop, pop, popular!**

"Taking Blair on is not a light task, its something you have to be fully prepared for" Chuck said as Jenny still sat in shock

"She destroyed Lisa Arrison, I loved her" Jenny said in disbelief

"That was quick work to her, I hardly doubt she lost sleep over trying to get information on her" Chuck sighed

"Lost sleep, she destroyed Lisa Arrison! Mickey went bankrupt trying to conceal that scandal and then the defamation of character that the Conroy's slapped them with" Jenny said

"She was a threat, and Blair handled it. If your going to dethrone her then I suggest you find some damning evidence or you'll just be destroyed in general" Chuck said before he rose from his seat "It's not to late to join me in bed, that's starting to look like your only option" he smiled as he put the tip down on the table while all Jenny could do was pout in thought of what Blair would do to her if she only knew. Sulking more and more into the possibilities, Jenny was quickly torn from her thought by her cell phone ringing. Rolling his eyes at another distraction that came between them "So much for a morning romp" he said to himself before he walked off

"Hello" Jenny answered as she tried to get Chuck to stay but had little progress in doing so

* * *

><p>Taking his seat at the table like he had done time and time again over the span of the seven months that he had worked there, Dan was finding the Waldorf penthouse his home away from home. When he had first met Eleanor, she hadn't been one to sit down at the table to enjoy a meal, but ever since Blair's bulimia had come to light the woman had made an honest effort to do more family things. Though he didn't feel too much a part of this family, he took pride in the fact that he was slowly watching this family morph into something that Blair had wanted all along. Bringing out his usual cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes, Dan and Eleanor each sat at the table reading the newspaper while eating. Glancing up a few times from her latest article that reviewed her line, Eleanor smiled to see Dan sitting with her. Coming back into the dining area, Dorota always came to see her food approval by watching Dan just chomp away at her food. In the weirdest of ways, both the women had become use to him being there and sitting at the table or just being around the house in general, and had come to enjoy his company.<p>

"Daniel, how is school going?" Eleanor asked "Are you having any troubles with your tuition?" she then asked

"No, that's been a settled matter. I get a newfound respect now at the financial office" Dan laughed

"That's good to hear" Eleanor smiled "And your sporting?" she asked

"Soccer is good, we actually have a big game coming up against Dalton to qualify for playoffs" Dan replied

"I could never quite understand futbol" Dorota commented as she folded the linens

"For starters, its not futbol. It's soccer" Eleanor stated

"It's called futbol in Spanish, but yes, its soccer" Dan laughed

"As you can see, I'm not privileged to the many names of sports" Eleanor smiled as she folded up her newspaper to put down on the table

"You travel to all these different countries and you don't know the different titles of sports? I find that hard to believe" Dan told her

"I do fashion, not sporting" Eleanor laughed "Big difference" she said hitting him with the newspaper

"Well if I were to be lucky enough to travel some day, I would have to take in some sports…I'd go crazy" Dan said

"Good for you" Eleanor smiled "And your classes?" she asked

"Doing very good in all my classes, Dartmouth good actually. I try not to get to complacent so I get extra credit whenever I can, but my first period class is pretty much a freebie" Dan told her as Blair came prancing down the stairs with her phone in hand as she texted away

"Humphrey, you've got to do a better job of screening the packages coming up. It's getting ridiculous what people can send through mail now" Blair said as she took her seat at the table

"To do, talk with security about mail" Dan replied as he continued with eating "I thought the last package was your French notes you were waiting for?" he asked

"That'd be sent by carrier, not packaging" Blair replied

"Well then I'll look into it then" Dan said as Eleanor and Dorota looked at the two in confusion for a few moments. Glancing up to see her mother's expression, Blair wondered why she looked so dumbfounded

"What's with the shock face?" Blair asked

"I think I can speak for Dorota and myself, when I say that I'm a bit taken a back that you two can carry out a simple conversation without insults being slung at each other" Eleanor said

"Humphrey works here, no need to insult him on something he should be doing" Blair replied

"But the usual connotation of your words towards him tend to be insults, Ms. Blair" Dorota pointed out

"I believe she's maturing" Dan laughed as he put his fork down

"And like always your stuffing your face" Blair replied "I got some stupid mail the other day, and I wanted to mention it because I'm expecting daddy to send me notes for this book I'm trying to translate" she said

"Yes, but…" Eleanor said before Blair interrupted

"Am I like some evil bitch around here to you guys?" Blair asked as she looked on at all of them awaiting an answer but found an awkward silence instead

"Bitch would be a strong word to use" Eleanor said

"I do have my moments, but I can be nice" Blair said "Your far from that title yourself mother" she pointed

"Yes, and I make millions off of those differing titles. I believe that bitch title enables you to translate French text" Eleanor said

"Gotcha there" Dan laughed at Eleanor's point to Blair

"Point being, I do have my bitch moments but I'm fully capable of being nice to people" Blair smiled

"People, yes. But you two bicker worse than cats and dogs" Dorota said

"Humphrey, do you care to join in?" Blair asked him as she glared at him

"Yes, she's capable of being nice" Dan quickly replied "Do you have anymore pancakes?" he then asked

"Humphrey!" Blair said

"Okay, we've been nice to each other. We've recently discovered that bickering so much is not good for either of us, and creates a better working environment" Dan said

"What's the catch?" Eleanor asked as she laughed

"There is no catch, we've reached an understanding" Dan said

"Has she threatened you, pulled another Lisa Arrison on you?" Eleanor asked as she looked over at her daughter

"First of all, you benefited from Lisa" Blair said

"Mickey went bankrupt off of your findings" Eleanor said

"Who is Mickey and Lisa?" Dan asked in confusion

"A subject that in short involved my mother getting the Maxwell Award, but happened two years ago" Blair said "And no, I didn't threaten him. Humphrey has nothing to offer worth threatening" she said

"It's a little scary that the word threat is in your regular vocabulary, you'd do good in the mafia" Dan told her

"So I've heard" Blair smiled to herself "Why can't you two accept that we can get along?" she asked

"Because you don't!" Eleanor and Dorota quickly replied catching them both off guard

"Well get it, we get along" Blair told them "Moving on to pressing issues, Dorota can you please get me a pass for first period, I have to work on my paper a bit longer" she said

"Getting lazy with homework?" Eleanor asked

"No, mother. I'm not getting lazy with homework, I'm working on a research paper for my French class as extra credit" Blair said

"It's true, she's lobbied for the class to do one extra paper than the required" Dan laughed

"Okay, I like the sounds of that. Two teenagers that have their heads on straight, and aren't caught up in sex and partying" Eleanor said causing Dan to nearly choke on his coffee. Giving Dan a quick glare before turning her attention back to her mother, Blair hoped that Dan wouldn't make it that obvious

"Nope, still virgins….well I can't say the same for Humphrey, seeing as he is with Serena" Blair replied as Dan finally got a hold himself

"I'm…I'm still a virgin" Dan said as he was able to stop himself from coughing

"That's….nice to know" Eleanor replied a bit awkward as she got up from her seat "I will see you all later, and have a great day at school" she said as she walked over to give Blair a kiss on the cheek before heading out

"I better print out my paper before I forget" Dan said as he quickly got up from the table

"You know we do have libraries" Blair stated

"And you do know that its free here, right" Dan said as he ran up the staircase. Grabbing the invoice from the drawer, Dorota walked over to grab her coat by the elevator

"Where are you off to?" Blair asked

"Your dry cleaning is ready. I must get it before noon" Dorota said as she put her coat on "I will see you later Ms. Blair, enjoy your day" she said as she boarded the elevator. Slowly getting up from her seat, Blair looked on to make sure that Dorota was gone before she quickly ran up the staircase.

Entering her room, Blair quickly smiled once she saw Dan sitting on the edge of the bed. "Could you make it anymore obvious with your whole first period is a freebie?" Blair asked as she unbuttoned her blouse just as Dan threw his shirt to the floor

"Yeah, well you made it obvious last night" Dan said before he pulled her towards him

"I wanted to be obvious, you wanted to get caught" Blair said before she kissed him "There's a big difference" she said breaking the kiss

"Do you really want to bicker before?" Dan asked with a bit of laughter

"No" Blair laughed before they fell back on the bed with their lips still attached as they feverishly tugged at each other clothes.

* * *

><p>Glad to finally get out of the wooden seats and listening to teachers ramble on about upcoming S.A.T. prep testing, Dan was more than thankful to get his lunch break. Feeling a bit of sore spot in his leg from his morning with Blair, Dan did his best to play off the limp that he had but he knew Carter had picked up on it. It was still new for him to accept the fact that he was having an affair with a girl that if anyone would have asked him about seven months ago, he would have said she was child of evil. Now the two couldn't manage to keep their hands off of each other since Christmas Eve. He had tried to chalk it up to an unexplainable attraction towards her that he was hoping would wear off, but he found that the moments when they were not ripping each others clothes off that there was still something there. Dan hated that he was lying to Serena, but the fact that Serena kept him hanging around with no clear indication of how she truly felt about him or Nate, it only inspired him to keep up the affair. At times he wished that he could see how Blair truly felt about going behind her friends back, but it was like when they were together they didn't think about the outside world too much. Finishing up his e-mail, Carter took a seat at a table in the court yard as Dan debated if he wanted a coffee or not so that he could make it through his classes. A slight smile came to Carter's face as he could see that Dan had a long night, and he knew exactly what was keeping him up.<p>

"You've been limping there buddy" Carter laughed as he pointed out the flaw in Dan for the day "Have some rough sex?" he teased

"It's not rough, it's just a lot of sex" Dan sighed

"And your sighing about it. Is this a sigh of tired of sex?" Carter asked

"Yes, it's a sigh of tired of sex. I feel like we've been going at it like rabbits now" Dan told him

"That's because you two are no longer virgins, you do remember my Bella reference, right?" Carter asked

"Yes, I try to forget that reference" Dan said "But I do get the whole virgins losing their card and then all of sudden everything turns sexual" he said

"Everything?" Carter asked

"Everything" Dan replied "I mean it's a little bit more her, but I get my fair share of gotta have it moments….but I'm just fearing that I'm becoming more and more susceptible to the asshole epidemic" he said

"Excuse me, come again?" Carter asked "Asshole epidemic? What is that?" he asked

"Guys who are in it for the sex, and nothing else" Dan replied "I'm not that guy, and I'm feeling like the lines are blurring just a tad" he said

"You know what you want, and if you have the gotta have it moments then your clearly just horny" Carter laughed "And yes, every guy has that" he said

"It just feels weird even talking about it. We're like Sex and the City, guy edition" Dan said

"Except I'm just in the city, not having the sex" Carter quickly added "Is Serena suspecting?" he asked

"And that's the part that makes me feel like the asshole that I know I am. What type of question is that?" Dan asked

"Does she suspect?" Carter asked

"No, she's too busy with her mother's wedding to suspect. The time that we do spend together she's talking about her mother's wedding or we're with Nate and Blair" Dan said "Which is awkward as hell" he said

"Of course it would be" Carter said

"I just don't know how much more of this I can take" Dan sighed

"Man up. I've never heard a guy complain about too much sex" Carter reasoned "Your unsure about Serena and Blair, so your just having the best of both worlds" he said

"And that makes me a good person?" Dan asked "Because your trying to help me justify it" he pointed out

"No, I'm trying to get you to stop moping about it every time we talk" Carter said just as he glanced over to see Serena walking towards them with the biggest of smiles on his face "And the conversation is over" he smiled over at Serena as she came up to give Dan a kiss. Feeling the overwhelming emotion of guilt, Dan did all he could to break the kiss but he could just feel her trying to display her emotions to him

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Serena asked as she took her seat next to Dan

"Oh, we're just talking about French" Carter said unable to think fast on his feet

"French?" Serena asked

"I went to the French movie festival this past weekend, remember" Dan told her

"That's right. Sorry about not being able to go, my mom was just a wreck when the caterers came over" Serena told him "Then Eric keeps sending me these stupid gifts as some sort of a joke" she went on to babbly

"It's fine. I know how much your mom needs you" Dan replied

"So how is the wedding of the year going?" Carter asked trying to keep the mood light

"It's going well, so far. We're just having some problems with the right food. With my mom's soon to be husband having a flare for the spicy Mexican food and my mom wanting traditional…" Serena said before Carter interrupted

"Looking food" Carter smiled

"What's looking food?" Serena asked

"When it looks really pretty, but tastes like crap" Dan laughed

"Oh, then that's what she's looking for. Finding the two that merge together is difficult" Serena said before a smile quickly came to her face

"And judging by the smile, I can guess that a party is about to come about in which you join the two" Dan noticed

"What better way than to get the opinions of the people who will be at the wedding" Serena said

"So preview the food before the wedding, only in the Upper Eastside" Carter joked

"That's sounds good, right?" Serena turned to ask Dan

"I just don't think I'm in a party mood" Dan sighed

"You don't even know when its going to be" Serena replied

"I know, but I just have so much to get ready for. I have testing coming up, a French exam" Dan told her

"Have Blair help you, she's good in all that stuff, especially French….her dad does live in France" Serena told him

"Yes, because she plots to take people down internationally and locally…learning different ways to say busted is key" Dan teased "I don't think the answer to my problems is Blair" he said trying to get the topic off of Blair

"Then what is the answer?" Serena asked as Carter could detect a serious tone coming to the conversation

"I just remembered that I have to….comb my hair" Carter said as he got up from the table "I'll talk to you later" he told Dan before he quickly walked off

"What's going on with you?" Serena asked "I feel like your trying to avoid hanging out with me" she said

"Avoid you? I asked you last weekend to hang out so that we could talk, but you don't have time" Dan said

"Because I was with my mom" Serena explained

"Your always with mom or your out with Katy and Isobel" Dan told her

"Okay, well I want to get our relationship on track but its not going to go anywhere unless you open up to some of the things I like" Serena told him

"I've gone to everything you like. I invite you to art shows and film festivals, but you can't go" Dan said "It's a bit one sided in that department" he told her

"Okay, I'll start going with you. I just really want you to come tomorrow night" Serena told him

"And I don't know if can….school is important to me, and with Eleanor paying my tuition…I have to get good grades" Dan told her

"What's this really about? I mean I just feel like something else is coming between us" Serena told him

"No, nothing is coming between us….just the fact that my girlfriend can't seem to make time for me unless it has to do with one of her events" Dan said "But you want to know the thing that really gets me?" he asked her

"What?" Serena asked

"You haven't even cared to ask me about my interests. I know everything there is about you, but you have yet to ask me about what really interests me" Dan told her

"I'm trying" Serena reasoned "But it takes two people to try in a relationship" she said

"Writing, I like to write. If you asked me about that then I'd have to tell you that I have written anything in the past seven months, and for the life of me I can't figure out how to get back to writing" Dan told her

"I'm not sure how I'm suppose to answer that? I mean your smart and you'll figure it out" Serena said trying to show him that she did care

"Yeah, I'll figure it out" Dan replied

* * *

><p>It felt a little weird for the young girl to be back in the same halls that she once used to frequent on a regular basis. Going down the halls, she could remember the little things that they would do when they got bored during the days. A part of her missed the days when it was just Eric and her because that's when things were at their simplest point. Over the course of time that Eric was in they had managed to make friends with some of the hospital staff. Being friends with staff had major perks for both Jenny and Eric as they both got away with curfew hours and got bootleg dvd's. Patty, one of the staff members, had called earlier for Jenny to come down and she had to admit that she was glad to talk to someone other than Chuck for a few moments. Excited to see the young girl as she made her way up to the nurses station, Patty rushed over to hug Jenny.<p>

"It's been forever since you've been around" Patty said excitedly

"Well, it's kind of a good thing that I haven't been around….that means Eric is doing good" Jenny replied

"How is he?" Patty asked "I see him around but that's only for meetings" she told her

"Yeah, he's doing good. Well on the path to recovery" Jenny told her

"Have you two…?" Patty asked as she hinted towards them possibly being together

"No. We're just…we're not even that really, but we're just us" Jenny replied sadly

"I was so sure that you two would though" Patty said

"Really? I mean I never saw it. I think back to our moments and I just never saw it" Jenny told her as they began to walk over towards the sitting area of the lobby

"Everyone could see it" Patty said "How could you not see it?" she asked

"Because I was his friend. I was just his friend, I never thought anything more than friendship" Jenny said

"Really? Never…you never saw it or even felt it?" Patty asked

"Pat, I care about him. I just have been blown away by all of this" Jenny said

"Well all I knew was that you two were going to end up together, and have lots of sex then get married" Patty teased as Jenny just laughed

"I bet. Only you would have such a dirty mind Patty" Jenny laughed "So what was it that I had to come down here for?" she asked

"Just a dress that I think will be perfect for you that I found in one of the bins" Patty said as she lead Jenny down the hall

"You've got to stop shopping through the lost and found" Jenny told her

"I wish that I could, but these rich kids always forget something and that something always turns into my favorite on Friday nights" Patty told her

"You, Patty, can rock anything on a Friday night. I only wish that I had your fashion sense" Jenny said "But shopping should be done in an actual store, not bins. Try it" she told her friend as she pulled her into the room in which the dress was in

"And here it lays" Patty said as she introduced the dress to Jenny

"Who's the designer?" Jenny asked as she looked on in awe of the dress

"EW" Patty replied

"EW? There's no designer named EW" Jenny questioned

"That's what it said on the tag" Patty told her as she began to model the dress as Jenny looked at as if she recognized the cut and the design like it was something she was familiar with "And I just wish that it would fit my body. If I could afford Jenny Craig, I would so go there just to fit into this little number" she said looking on at herself in the mirror

"EW, EW, EW" Jenny kept telling herself as she tried to jog her memory

"Do you see a roach?" Patty asked as she looked around

"No…I just…oh, my God" Jenny said coming to the slow conclusion of what EW stood for "EW is initials….Eleanor Waldorf" she said

"Who is this Eleanor Waldorf?" Patty asked as Jenny quickly grabbed the dress to look on at the dress size to see that it was a size four

"Eleanor only goes up to size three. Judging by the color its her fall line, and only in autumn is when she went to size fives…there's only one person that wore a size four in an autumn line" Jenny said

"Okay, you've gone in this Nancy Drew mode and have completely lost me along the way" Patty said

"Patty, I need you to look into something for me" Jenny said

"Look into something? Like what?" Patty asked

"A patient" Jenny said "Blair Waldorf. I need to know if she was checked in here and why?" she asked

"Your getting all of this from a size number?" Patty asked "I'm afraid to see what you get from my size ten dresses" she muttered "I can't just give you information" she then replied

"You've got the biggest mouth in this center, you of all people can give me information" Jenny said

"And that fact is why I can't just give out information" Patty said

"I will make it worth your while" Jenny told her

"How?" Patty asked

"That dress, I'll make it so it fit's a size ten" Jenny said "You know I have the skills to make it happen" she told her

* * *

><p>Going over and over her French lesson in her head, Blair wanted to do all she could to at least cover the last section by the end of the night. Repeating the phrases, she tried to find common things for her to connect them to so that they would be easy to remember and recall on when it came to test time. In her own special way, she wanted to learn as much as possible so that someday she could spend the whole summer in France getting lost in the country side. The few times that she got to visit her dad, she never got to take in the full experience of being in France but she promised herself that maybe if she shifted a few things around come this summer, then she'd be able to spend at least two weeks in France. Heading into the kitchen, Blair immediately walked over to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water and wasted no time in taking a sip from her water bottle. Glancing over at the eyes fixated on her, Blair couldn't help but see how Dorota was just looking at her. Normally Blair would think nothing of Dorota's stare because she usually would say what's on her mind then hope Blair would comprehend then stare, but Blair felt as if Dorota was looking at her trying to figure her out.<p>

"What's with the eye contact?" Blair asked

"Something is different about you" Dorota replied

"Like what?" Blair asked

"You just seem different, new" Dorota said "Like your happy of some sort" she said

"I did get back together with Nate, did you ever put that together as the reason why I might be happy" Blair replied

"Nope" Dorota quickly replied "I've seen you with Mr. Nate and you never looked this way….well in the beginning, but not now. This is different….I can't put my finger on it" she said

"And if you do, then that'll be the last time you see your fingers" Blair stated "I'm starting to resent the fact that everyone around here thinks I was or am some evil bitch" she said

"Ms. Blair, no one thinks of you as an evil bitch" Dorota sighed

"But a bitch in general?" Blair asked

"From time to time" Dorota said

"If I was happy? Would that be weird to see….me happy?" Blair asked shyly

"Nothing is ever wrong about being happy. Everyone has the right to be happy" Dorota said "I've just seen you in one mode for so long that I began to worry you'd stay like that, which is why I want to know what is making you this way" she said as Blair took a moment to think

"I'm all better, that's what makes me happy. I'm not screwed up anymore" Blair said

"You were never screwed up Ms. Blair, you were never screwed up" Dorota said just as Dan came in to the kitchen dressed in his soccer gear. Turning their attention towards him, Blair found herself feeling like he came in at a moment that only seemed to fit Dorota's question. Quickly turning away, she had to prepare herself to remain her normal self

"I need water" Dan said as he walked over towards the fridge to grab some water out

"Do you ever think of bringing your own stuff?" Blair asked before Dan just laughed to himself as he observed the tasty goodies in the fridge

"I think I will have a turkey sandwich before I head out" Dan laughed as he pulled the tray out to put on the counter

"I better get clocked out" Dorota said as she made her way out of the kitchen

"Goodnight Dorota" Dan called out as he began to make his sandwich

"Goodnight" Dorota laughed as she left

"What's the real reason you're here? I told you not tonight, I have French to study" Blair said after she hit him on the arm

"I'm really about to work out. We play Dalton, and coach is riding me to be at my best" Dan said "Why? You waiting up for me?" he teased her

"In your dreams Humphrey" Blair laughed "I'm studying my French" she said as he moved over towards her in a manner that made her heartbeat race

"You've really been trying with this thing" Dan smiled "What's the fascination with French?" he asked

"Besides the fact that it will look great on a college application, do I need to have another reason beyond that?" Blair asked

"But I know you" Dan told her

"You know me?" Blair asked with a bit of a laugh "That's a bit of a stretch" she smiled

"I know you well enough to know that you have that giddy grin, your excited about something, your excited so much that you can just picture it. Knowing you, you've probably pictured it to the point that your trying to set aside enough time so you can enjoy it to the fullest" Dan smiled at her

"Don't laugh when I tell you" Blair threatened him

"I wouldn't laugh…at least not to your face" Dan said before Blair hit him on the arm "I'm not going to laugh at you" he said as he put his hand on her shoulder

"I'm learning French so that I could speak it fluently for a month in France" Blair muttered

"And that's laugh worthy because?….Blair, that's great. I actually envy you" Dan said

"Really?" Blair asked surprised "Your not going to throw in a grain of humor to it?" she asked

"No, because I think you can pretty much kick my ass if I do" Dan teased as he gave her a little hug "This is something that you should fixate on, this is something that is beyond healthy and I'm proud of you" he said giving her another nudge

"I know that I have never said it before…" Blair said before Dan jumped up excitedly

"Are you going to thank me?" Dan asked excitedly

"And you killed the moment" Blair quickly told him before he stepped in front of her to prevent her from leaving

"No, no, no. I'm just playing, I was just excited in the moment but I'm back" Dan told her as he tried to calm himself down

"Forget it, you had your moment and you killed it" Blair replied

"So there is no chance I get my thank you?" Dan asked her

"You just gave it to yourself, congrats on that" Blair teased

"Fine, I'll wait for this moment to arrive again because I'm sure I'll do something to warrant a thank you. So, since its not a good thing to just coop yourself up and study, I was thinking maybe you could come and kick some balls around with me at the field. You up for that?" Dan asked her as she tried to conceal her smile from him

"I can't, Nate is coming by later tonight" Blair said shyly as Dan nodded his head as if for a quick moment he forgot his place

"That's right because Nate is the boyfriend" Dan said

"Humphrey, soccer and I don't go together" Blair said "It's all sweaty and kicking" she said trying to convince herself that she didn't even belong doing something so physical

"Yeah, your probably right. I mean your just bound to be one type of person, so making you expand is ridiculous" Dan teased

"It wasn't ridiculous" Blair sighed

"Yeah, it was. I should have used my head in that one. I just forget that I'm the other guy in this scenario" Dan told her

"Your not the other guy" Blair quickly replied

"Then what am I?" Dan asked eager to hear her say it. Taking a moment to access what she should say

"Your Humphrey" Blair said as they looked at each other for a moment as if they were trying to read each other

"I'm Humphrey" Dan smiled weakly before he slowly backed away

"Dan" Blair called out trying to get his attention

"Humphrey is leaving. I'll talk to you later Waldorf" Dan replied as he kept walking towards the elevator while Blair cursed herself for making that statement. Why was she letting Humphrey of all people getting to her? She questioned herself before her cell phone began to go off. Looking on at the caller identification, Blair quickly picked up.

"Hello" Blair answered

* * *

><p>With the bit of information that she had gained on her one time she hero, Jenny felt as if she was sitting on a pot of gold that had an expiration date on her. Thinking back to the time period, in which Blair had been absent from school, it all started to make sense to her as to how Blair covered it all up. Beginning to wonder if Dan knew this whole time, Jenny felt as if even her brother had managed to get in the inside while all she could do was search and search for the crack to let herself in. As much as Jenny wanted to blow this all up, she did fear what this would do to Blair. For all that she knew of Blair, she saw that she wasn't like the girls of the Upper Eastside that thought everything was suppose to be given to them, Jenny admired Blair's determination and drive to be the best and she had hoped that she would have gained that from her over the course of time of hanging out with her. Stuck with what to do and what not to do, Jenny felt as if her mind was racing off in to two different places and all she could do was see where the path went. Heading into the Plaza to meet up with Chuck, she was relieved to see that he was waiting for her and didn't appear to be in a bad mood. Quickly ending the call that he was on, Jenny could tell that something was off with him but she had just chalked that up to Chuck just being Chuck.<p>

"Business stuff?" Jenny asked

"It's always business stuff" Chuck sighed as the waiter came up to their table to take their order "I'll have Smirnoff over the rocks" he said as he massaged his temple "Do you want dinner?" he asked

"No, I'm good. I can't stay long anyways" Jenny replied "I just…I need to ask you something about what we talked about earlier" she said

"And what exactly did we talk about?" Chuck asked as the waiter brought him his drink

"About the whole dethroning thing" Jenny said

"Admirable, its coming back to me now. What do you want to know?" he asked as he took a sip from his drink

"Is it worth it?" Jenny asked "I mean what if I have a piece of information that could get me what I want, but I just want to know will it all be worth it?" she asked

"You want to an insider, it'll be worth it if that's what you want" Chuck replied "Look, I would love to go back and forth on this but you've got to stop with the whole repetition. Either you will or you won't" he said

"Well maybe you pegged me right then, maybe I'm not cut out for this world because I'm not sure I can so easily destroy someone" Jenny said

"Destroy? You'd have to have something pretty big on Waldorf to do that" Chuck said before he noticed a certain look in her eye that let him know that she was really sitting on something good about Blair "You've got something?" he asked

"Something big or at least in my small world of big" Jenny said

"What do you have?" Chuck asked as he loosened up his tie before Jenny leaned forward to get a sip of drink, which caused him to have a slight smirk come to his face to see her grow before his very eyes "Strong enough for you to take a drink….do tell?" he asked just as they heard a loud ruckus come from within the restaurant. Turning their attention towards an outraged Joel coming in a head full of steam, Jenny looked over towards Chuck to see what exactly was going on.

"You son of a bitch!" Joel yelled as the staff held him back "You traitor!" he screamed

"What are you babbling about now?" Chuck asked as he sat calmly in his chair

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You sold me out, you took what was mine!" Joel yelled at him

"It was a partnership, but nothing was ever yours. You worked for me, and I paid you. Nothing was ever yours" Chuck said as he got up from his seat to face him "My father was going to drop project if I didn't make changes" he said

"So you take me out of the deal? I'm the one that set up the deal for Victrola" Joel said before he picked up a glass and threw it on the floor which only caused more and more eyes to be drawn towards them

"And I closed it. So consider ourselves even" Chuck told him

"This isn't over…I swear to God, I will destroy you!" Joel yelled "And Jenny, you're a fool to trust him….your next, you were always going to be next…your nothing to him!" he told Jenny as she just looked more confused than ever "Chuck Bass only looks out for Chuck Bass" he told her

"Get him out of here" Chuck instructed the staff "Get this piece of trash out of here now!" he screamed

"I'm going to nail your ass to the wall! It's only a matter of time" Joel screamed as the hotel staff forcefully escorted him out

* * *

><p>Stepping out of the town car, Blair clenched on tight to her coat as she cautiously made her way down the halls of the St. Jude's Sports Arena in the midst of the night. She had never really been to the arena since Nate had pretty much played pick up games at the athletic clubs, but after her earlier conversation with Dan, she felt as if she was going to blow off studying for a few hours then it'd be within her best interest to do so with him. When she called Nate to cancel their plans, she had hoped that maybe a twinge of guilt would come from breaking plans with her official boyfriend to hang out with a guy that she was sleeping with, but it was a part of her that she just couldn't explain. Deep down she knew that it was wrong what she was doing with Dan, but there was something about him that she just couldn't explain that made her want to continue with him, that made her wonder what it was that allowed her to be so open with him. She knew they were being stupid and totally out of character of who they were, but that's what seemed appealing to her; for the first time she wasn't doing something that was so perfect and confined to what was expected of her, she was doing something that was so uncontrollable and natural that she wasn't even sure if she wanted to stop it. Hearing the sound of the ball hit against the pole of the goal, she could quickly see a shirtless Dan become frustrated with himself as he ran after the ball. Kneeling down towards the ball, Dan took a moment to catch his breath before gearing up for some more kicks. Standing up, he was quickly torn from his thoughts by the sound of clapping come from the stands.<p>

"Is the point of the game to miss?… because I think your doing a great job at that" Blair teased as she walked down the steps of the bleachers

"Where's Nate?" Dan asked before he turned to throw the ball on the ground so that he could kick the ball up to the center of the field

"I don't know, he's probably hanging out with Chuck" Blair replied "But you were probably being sarcastic, weren't you?" she asked

"No, I was genuinely….I was being sarcastic" Dan tried to lie but found that he couldn't hide the clear sarcasm in his tone "What are you doing here? I thought this was beneath you?" he asked

"I never said it was beneath me, I just never saw myself playing or getting sweaty…actually I've never even been in the Sports Arena, its actually quite nice to know where the school funds are going to now" Blair said as she looked on at the field with much interest

"So you can't just admit that you miss me?" Dan teased as she just looked at him like he was delusional for thinking she'd ever admit that, but she was impressed that he could pin point at least part of the reason of why she came "Come on Waldorf, I'm not that bad" he said

"We've discussed this" Blair laughed

"I just like hearing you admit it though because then it would prove that you were wrong about something" Dan laughed

"Me being wrong is a rare occasion" Blair stated

"And you trying something new is just as rare" Dan said as he walked towards her to reveal the sweat that was trickling over his finely toned abs that she tried so hard not to look at "Since you came, I'm going to conclude that your about to change that opinion, right?" he asked

"I try something new all the time" Blair quickly pointed out

"Let's not go to far with the crazy talk, but…no, you don't" Dan laughed before she hit him on the arm

"Fine. I'll try this stupid game" Blair laughed as she took her coat off just as Dan walked over to grab it

"Seeing as I know how sensitive you are to your clothing, I'll put that on top of my bag" Dan smiled as he took her coat and put on his gym bag before quickly running back over to see that she was putting her hair up in a ponytail

"Now, just remember that I know nothing about soccer or futbol" Blair told him

"Okay, its pretty easy….you'll pick it up easily, since the only key thing is just kicking" Dan laughed

"I'm not as athletically challenged as you may think" Blair replied

"I never thought you were, I was just saying that it would be easy for you" Dan laughed as he brought the ball between them "You do know how to kick right?" he joked

"I know how to kick, but what ball I'll be aiming for will depend on you" Blair said as she put on her hip to eye both the soccer ball and Dan's private area

"Kick the black and white ball" Dan instructed "Or if this will help, Kick le noir et blanc ball" he said saying the last part in French causing her to be surprised by how well he spoke it

"You speak French?" Blair asked in total surprise

"I've noticed you….and I'll leave it at that" Dan smiled at her "We'll just play keep away" he told her as he began to play around with the ball

"La meilleure personne peut gagner" Blair said in a fit of laughter before taking off with the ball while all Dan could do was laugh at her

"Oh, I will" Dan laughed as he chased after her

**Everywhere she goes, she goes there knowing...**

**I just wanna be with her**

**Everywhere she goes, she goes there knowing...**

**I just wanna be...**

**I just wanna be with her**

Running after her, Dan found that every time he was getting close, she'd just pull away and run away off into a different direction. He was quickly impressed to see how coordinated she was as she was more than capable of handling the ball while trying to defend it at the same time. Putting her outer arm up to fend his attacks on the ball, she couldn't stop herself from laughing while spouting out warning to Dan at the same time. Her laughter made it nearly impossible for him to concentrate on the ball as all he could do when hearing her laugh was to laugh himself. Trying yet again to get the ball, he just couldn't stop himself from laughing at how girlie she was being in this moment with her warnings to let her go. Running behind her in hope to seize the ball from a different side of her, he found his attempt to be useless as she just put the outer arm up to defend herself once more. Finally realizing that laughter had gotten the best of Humphrey, Blair quickly side kicked the ball into the goal before running around with arms raised high in victory. Falling to his knees, he hung his head in utter defeat as he was in disbelief that she actually scored on him. Circling around him with her hands still up, Blair was not shy about rubbing it in his face that she scored on him. For the first couple of minutes he allowed her to gloat, but after the tenth time circling him, he quickly rose to his feet before she took off running as he chased after her.

"Je donne! Je donne!" Blair yelled out in between laughter, declaring that she gave up

**Seems like I see her face**

**Every couple days**

**Playing hard to get**

**I can't handle this**

**Something about the way she moves**

**The looks she gives, the attitude**

**It pulls me in**

Putting the final ball in place to finish off the row of balls, Dan stepped back to join her at the marker they had set for themselves. Demonstrating on how to kick the ball with the side of her foot instead of the toe, Blair looked on at him like she was being patronized, in her mind it was clear on how she would kick the ball since there was only one way to kick the ball. Running back in place at the marker, he took the first shot at the goal and made it in. Chasing after his ball, he stood beside the goal as he watched her take her kick. Preparing herself, she stretched her arms first before she finally took off running towards the ball. Extending her leg out, she did her best to kick the ball but found her intentions lead to nothing once she had fallen to the ground. Running back over to her side, Dan looked down at her to make sure she was okay before she slowly sat up. Realizing that she probably should have paid attention to what he was saying earlier, she looked over to see him sprawled out on the floor, rolling back and forth as he killed himself with laughter. Quickly crawling over towards the rest of the balls, she grabbed one before throwing it at him. Continuing on with his laughter, he did his best to grab on to her so that her attempts to hurt him would wane. Unable to control her laughter, she couldn't help but let a laugh slip out as he let go of his grip on her and just continued to roll around in laughter.

**Everywhere she goes, she goes there knowing...**

**I just wanna be with her**

**Everywhere she goes, she goes there knowing...**

**I just wanna be...**

**I just wanna be with her**

Starting out at the end of the field, Dan gave her signal before they began to run together in unisons. Kicking the ball over towards her, she focused in on the ball not wanting to slip again this time on it before she kicked it back over towards him. A smile came to his face instantly as he was glad that she managed to deliver the ball back to him without hurting herself. Kicking the ball back over towards her, he would say a quick French phrase then she would come back with a response to it. It was a complete surprise to her that he had picked up that much French over the course of time that she was learning it, she had practiced around the house but she never thought that through her that he'd be able to pick it up so quickly. The more he spoke it, the more convinced she was that he was quite the genius to grasp something so fast. The ball hadn't gone to far between them as her coordination was beginning to work against her with her trying to kick and think about a French phrase at the same time. Moving in closer towards her as he kicked the ball back to her, the distance between them was gradually decreasing with each kick that they did. Giving her a French phrase, Dan hadn't noticed to too much that their arms were grazing each other before he fell to her side causing them both to fall to the ground. Laughing at his clumsiness for a supposed soccer player, Blair and Dan took a few moments to get rid of their laughter before they realized how close they really were to each other. Realizing that she was laying on top of him, Blair looked down at him as he finished laughing to see that their faces were inches away from each other. Feeling his hand graze her back, she read his eyes and could feel that urge to kiss him. Looking at each other for a solid confirmation, Dan slowly leaned up and at first she welcomed his desire but a quick thought popped into her that made her stop. Rolling off of him, she tried to play off that she wasn't thinking about kissing him while he too tried to pretend by taking his hands to clean off the grass that was on his knees.

"So I think I should stick to being a self proclaimed Queen Bee" Blair joked as they laughed

"Yeah, it's the safest thing for you" Dan replied "But your quite the athlete, you know, with training and everything" he told her

"The uncontrollable sweating is not my thing, it adds sex appeal for you though Humphrey" Blair replied "I mean not that I thought you were sexy or anything" she tried to take it back

"It's okay, your clearly not ready for all this sexy" Dan teased as Blair just laughed "Your actually quite sexy yourself, I mean who knew slipping on a soccer ball would be so sexy" he teased her some more

"Ugh, I'm never going to live that one down, am I?" Blair asked

"Not any time in the near future. That will stay with me forever" Dan smiled

"I can honestly say that just when I peg you for one type, you show me a whole new side to you" Blair told him

"And you thought what of me?" Dan asked

"I thought you were smart, but I didn't know you were brilliant. I thought you were good at sports…you know being in the urban areas and all, you'd have to be smart or good at sports, but your really good at soccer" Blair said

"Count on you to give a compliment with a back handed insult" Dan laughed

"I try to stay consisted" Blair smiled "So your writing, where does it fit in with your mad soccer skills and your ability to pick up anything?" she asked

"My writing?….its pretty much nonexistent at this point" Dan sighed

"Why?" Blair asked

"Because I've hit writers block. Nothing has inspired me to write" Dan said

"So you were a writer and now your just….on break? I'm not understanding this, either you're a writer or your not" Blair questioned him as he just looked at her with confusion

"It's harder than you think to just sit down and just write, there has to be purpose behind it, there has to be a connection to the words" Dan told her

"So then just write. I mean whether you write about how crappy it is to live in Brooklyn or how it sucks to work for a proclaimed bitch…its still writing" Blair replied

"Your not a bitch" Dan told her "And I don't see myself being able to keep up useless writing" he said

"And I think that was a back handed insult" Blair laughed

"I didn't mean it to be that way, I meant that it sounds like what teachers tell students when they have to write in journals….just write whatever you feel in that moment" Dan smiled

"And what's wrong with that?" Blair asked

"I'm not sure how I feel these days. I'm not sure about anything and that's not something I want to admit to myself quite yet" Dan told her

"I think you just did" Blair said "Look, sometimes being unsure about the future or the present is a good thing….sometimes people like us try to analyze too much and then we stop ourselves from just living. We're teens, we're supposed to screw up and not have the answers" she told him

"It's that easy?" Dan asked

"Yeah, it's that easy" Blair said as she got up from the ground "Just write, and stop being such a girl about it" she teased him before she extended her hand out towards him to help him up off the ground

* * *

><p>After much thought through out the day and plenty of guilt to coincide with his decision, Dan decided to go to the food tasting party that Serena's mother was throwing. When he told his dad about the party, he had a hard time explaining why there was a party to taste food now and although he tried, he had to agree with his dad on that being strange. He had hoped to run into Jenny at the loft so that she could help him out with sewing up a tiny rip that he had on his sleeve of his dress shirt, but since her door was closed, he figured that she didn't want to be disturbed and with peace coming to the Humphrey household didn't seem to be a usual thing these days, he didn't want to test it. Serena was thrilled that he was going to come after all, and for the most part they had called a truce from their previous fight but he had this plaguing feeling like he just couldn't continue to ignore his displeasure in how they were both acting in the relationship. Once Carter had showed up at his house to pick him up, Dan did all he could to prepare himself mentally to be that perfect boyfriend but he knew deep down that it was going to be harder than to just tell himself to be one. Noticing Dan's battle with the thoughts running through his head, Carter poured him a drink to hand over to him.<p>

"I think you need something to mellow out the thoughts" Carter told him

"I don't really like to drink all too much" Dan sighed "I wished it was easier to do so with alcohol" he said

"Oh, your only on month number seven in this world, alcohol will be a necessity in order to survive" Carter told him "Is it the same problem?" he asked

"It's always the same problem. I'm going to my girlfriend party or food tasting…whatever the hell its called, and I feel as if I just a walking ghost of who I am" Dan said

"You really have a flair for the dramatics" Carter laughed as Dan just rolled his eyes at Carter's joke "Okay, sorry. I was just speaking. Your just confused" he reasoned

"Confusion? I'm a bit more than that" Dan exclaimed

"I know…asshole is how you put it the other day" Carter said "What do you want to hear then? Because I'm not sure I can say anything that will make you less dramatic and non asshole like" he said

"How about the fact that you suggested the stupid idea?" Dan told him

"Key word, suggested. You went along with it. Remember, I'm the friend that gives the inappropriate advice that will lead to this, but ultimately you're the one that went through with it" Carter said

"Now is not the time! I just need for you to drop the sarcasm and all the other Carter esque things you do" Dan replied

"Carter esque, I didn't even think I had that type of thing going on….it's kind of catchy though" Carter said becoming distracted

"Carter!" Dan yelled trying to get his attention

"Okay, I'm back" Carter told him "What do you want from me?" he asked

"I want you to give me solid advice and not the guy advice" Dan said

"I can't give you that because only you know how to make things all happy in Dan land again" Carter said "Your having an affair with your girlfriends best friend…you wanted that, I never told you to do that" he said

"And clearly its not the wisest decision" Dan replied

"No…yes…I mean no" Carter wrestled back and forth with a good answer to give his answer

"I should just end it, I mean this is Blair Waldorf that we're talking about. She's the most infuriating person on this earth, she thinks she knows everything, and she has zero manners" Dan protested

"Okay, then end it with Blair" Carter said

"But then I should just end it with Serena because I feel like even though I'm with her, there is this part of her that still has a thing for Nate" Dan said

"See, that's exactly why I suggested having the affair" Carter reasoned with him "You have no clue as to who or what you want? Your just going through the motions of it all" he said

"It's not something I can flip a coin on" Dan said

"Your real problem is that your afraid of the truth, your afraid of realizing that the dream girl isn't the dream girl…your afraid to realize that those moments may be more than what you realize with Blair" Carter told him

"She's with Nate" Dan quickly replied

"And you have feelings for her" Carter said

"I like Serena, I've always liked Serena" Dan said as shook his head

"That maybe true, but the girl your turning to the most is her best friend. You need to accept the fact that the reason your having these moments that lead to sex between you two is because you have actual feelings for the girl" Carter said

"But…" Dan said before Carter interrupted

"Either face the truth or just shut up about it" Carter told him "You want to get back to who you used to be, then be honest with yourself" he said as a moment of silence came between them before they finally arrived at the party. Motioning to get out of the limo, they couldn't help but notice the Hollywood vibe that they were getting as paparazzi went crazy with pictures as Serena came out to greet Dan. Looking on at his friend embrace his girlfriend, Carter could see the guilt painted all over Dan's face as he held her. Torn away from their exchange, each of their phones began to go off as they all pretty much knew who it was from. Opening up his phone, Carter let out a slight grin as he knew that tonight would be filled with mystery

"Looks like there will be a dethroning tonight" Serena read out loud before they all just looked at each other in confusion as to what this meant. Realizing what this meant, Dan quickly let go of Serena's hand before running off to go find Blair while Serena and Carter just watched him. "Just what we needed tonight. I have to go make sure everything is okay inside, tell Dan I'm inside when he comes back" she told Carter as she made her way back inside

"All you have to do is be honest with yourself Humphrey. The answer is there, you just have to realize it" Carter said to himself as he gave a final glance in the direction where Dan ran off to

* * *

><p>Looking down from the balcony, Jenny could see the news spread throughout the room as people whispered amongst each other as to who it could be. Finding it a bit odd at how people could be so clueless to who could be dethroned, Jenny felt a bit superior by the fact that if she were to receive this message then she'd know instantly as to who it could be. Glancing down at her watch she knew that she didn't have much time until she had to make her big revelation for the night, in her mind she envisioned a sad scene with Blair but ultimately she saw herself gaining that instant popularity she had wanted. The more she replayed on how Blair would take the news, she found herself waning in the excitement because even though she felt so desperate to be in the inner circle, she didn't want to do this to Blair of all people. Turning back to head to the restroom so that she could freshen up, Jenny leaned down towards the sink to splash some water on her face. Taking a few moments to take a few breaths, she looked up in the mirror and felt as if the girl staring back at her was no longer the girl she once knew so well. In her head she could hear Eric's words ring clearly as she wasn't that girl anymore that he knew…hell, she wasn't the girl she once was. Getting lost in the fading image of herself, she could see Blair come into her point of view. Quickly turning around, Jenny was startled to see the brunette as she took her seat on the lounge chair that was in the restroom as if she were sitting without a care in the world with little knowledge as to what was going on.<p>

"You look surprised" Blair quickly noticed the reaction of the young girl

"I wasn't…well I didn't expect you to be in here, I thought I was the only one in here" Jenny explained

"I had to come freshen up" Blair replied as she got up from her seat to pull out her lip gloss. Feeling more nervous than anything as Blair stood beside her applying her lip gloss, Jenny was unsure of if she should leave or stay. Standing still in her place, Jenny just waited for Blair to finish up before she even motioned to do anything else. Leaning forward with her lip gloss stick in hand towards Jenny's mirror, Jenny looked on in confusion as to what Blair was doing, that was until Blair began to write on the mirror. Finishing up her message on the mirror, Jenny looked on in complete horror as he heart rate seemed to speed up and the walls closed in.

"You know" Jenny said as she turned to look at Blair

"Here's a little lesson for you Little J, be careful of who you talk to because some people are like old facets…..even though you turn them off, they still drip" Blair told her in the coldest of tones

"How'd you find out?" Jenny asked

"You honestly think I'm that stupid. I mean I know how girls look at me, I know that I have a target on my back…I'd be stupid not to cover my tracks" Blair said as tears welled up in Jenny's eyes

"I had no other choice, I just wanted to fit in and you took that away from me…" Jenny said before Blair cut her off

"There are no shortcuts in this world. Just as easy as it can be to get in, it'll be even easier to get tossed on your ass" Blair told her "You think that because you have information on me, that everyone will just accept you….newsflash, it doesn't work that way. You come after me, and I come after you" she told her "Those are the rules, and they will always be the rules" she went on to say

"I never wanted it to get this far, but I was trying to fit in at school where I will always be an outsider" Jenny told her

"Boo hoo, am I suppose to cry for you? Am I suppose to feel sympathetic to a girl that was about to use my personal information to gain?…no, its not working like that" Blair scolded her "Here's how it will go, I will let you walk out of here, unscathed and our dear friend Patty will most likely lose her job for being our quote, unquote facet. Then all these little attempts of rise to popularity will stop" she told her as Jenny took a moment to control herself

"I know this won't count for anything in this moment, but I'm sorry" Jenny told her

"Your right, it doesn't count for anything" Blair said "Jenny, I did you a favor before by letting you go because I guarantee you that the path you were on, and clearly are still on…it will lead to nothing but bad news. Part of being in this world, is the company you keep and I don't think your aware of the vultures that are circling you. So take this as my gift to you because the next time you test me, I will destroy you" she said before Jenny ran out of the restroom crying. Watching his little sister run past him, Dan stood in confusion as to whether that was really Jenny or not. Coming out of the restroom, Blair threw her tube of lip gloss into the trash before she looked over to see a concerned Dan looking on at her. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Blair ran her hand through her hair as she motioned to walk over towards Dan but was quickly cut off by a sudden embrace coming from Nate. Looking on at the two, Dan felt as if once again he was the other guy in this scenario and all he could hope for was a glance to know that she was okay.

"Did you get the text from Gossip Girl?" Nate asked as he let go of her

"Yeah" Blair replied "I think it was a false alarm, just Gossip Girl trying to steal the night" she smiled weakly at Nate before he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Blair hesitantly looked over towards where Humphrey stood only to find that he wasn't there.

* * *

><p><strong>I drove for miles <strong>

**Just to find**

**You and find myself**

**All these screams**

**All these voices**

**In my head**

**You gave me strength**

**Gave me hope**

**For a lifetime**

**I never was satisfied**

Rushing into the loft with tears streaming down her face, Jenny quickly entered her room before she fell to her knees. Tears fell freely as she couldn't manage to stop them even if she tried as it all seem to weigh on her of the continual struggle. Looking on at the pictures of the girl that she once was, she felt like it was just a ghost looking back at her and that she had no connection to any of those framed moments. Unable to see herself, she reached out for the nearest picture frame before smashing it to the floor. It didn't stop there as she grabbed the next picture hanging on the wall and just continued on with smashing each memory of the girl she used to be to where she was literally trashing her room. Anything she could get her hands was flung against the wall with no regards to sentimental value or regret, all she wanted to do was rid herself of the image that she no longer was. Stopping at her last frame that held her family picture, a picture that she would stare at for hours when her mother had left just wondering how they could get back to that. Looking on at this picture, she had finally come to the realization that they could never go back and it was all because of her mother. Her mother had tore this family a part without so much as a care. Going into the kitchen with the picture in hand, she rifled through the drawer before she grabbed the box of matches and headed towards the restroom. Tossing the picture into the bath tub, she soon got the urge to grab the rest of her mother's things to add to her pile. Her clothes, her brush, her paintings, just anything that she could get her hands on went into the tub. Closing the door behind her, Jenny looked on with no emotional attachment to any of the stuff that she use to treasure as she took out a match from the box and struck. Looking on at the glow of the fire, a single tear drop fell down her face before she threw it on to the pile. Standing there watching her mother's stuff burn, she knew it would do little to take away the pain.

**This time won't you save me**

**This time won't you save me**

**Baby I can feel myself givin up**

**Givin upThis time won't you save me**

**This time won't you save me**

**Baby I can feel myself givin up**

**Givin up**

Grabbing the bottle of vodka from behind the bar, Chuck escorted the two women over to the elevator before boarding. Wasting no time in their desired actions for the evening, they each began to kiss the most available part of his body as all he could do was drink from the vodka from the bottle while letting them enjoy their pleasure. Breaking away from they're willing behavior, he pulled the stop button on the elevator, which brought it to a screeching halt. Leaning towards each other, the two women began to kiss each other in a seductive manner that made him look on with much intrigue. Flinging his coat to the floor, he began to unbutton his dress shirt before one of the women broke away from the kiss to notice him. Pulling at his shirt, Chuck allowed himself to be controlled as the other walked up behind him before she ran her hand wildly through his hair. Unaware that he had the bottle still in his hand, Chuck had little concern for his choice drink as the bottle fell to the floor just breaking into tiny pieces.

**It's not your fault**

**I'm a bitch**

**I'm a monster**

**Yes I'm a beast**

**And I feast**

**When I conquer**

**But I'm alone**

**On my throne**

**All these riches**

**I came this way**

**All this way**

**Just to say hey**

Leaving one more message for Jenny to call him so that he could know if she was okay, Dan gave up hope that Jenny was even there to begin with. Standing at the bar, Dan looked on at Blair and Nate with the rest of their friends just laughing away like they had no care in the world. Turning back to turn down the drink the waiter offered him, Dan leaned up against the counter as he let out a sigh of frustration. Looking over at Serena with her mother, Dan had a slight smile came to his face as he wanted to be happy that he was with Serena, but a part of him just couldn't truly be happy. With his hands in his pocket, he just continued to stare at her as if he was trying to find one reason or one possibility that made the doubts in his head go away but the more he stared the more he began to realize that he was just wishing at this point for something that just might not be there. Feeling his eyes watching her, Serena looked up to make eye contact with Dan before she just smiled at him. Looking at her, she looking at him…this was there moment to make that connection, to have that moment where they could see what they needed in the other. She broke away from his gaze, satisfied that he was in her life while he stood feeling more helpless than ever to know that it just wasn't there for them. Walking up with drink in hand, Carter smiled at his friend, but Dan could do little but force a smile. Noticing that maybe Dan was in his realization mode, Dan walked past his friend to head out. Noticing his sudden exit, Blair looked over at Carter as if she were trying to find out why the sudden exit. Taking a sip from his glass, Carter made his way over towards their circle as he began to engage in conversation that would hopefully get Nate's attention so that Blair could sneak out.

**This time won't you save me**

**This time won't you save me**

**Baby I can feel myself givin up**

**Givin up**

**This time won't you save me**

**This time won't you save me**

**Baby I can feel myself givin up**

**Givin up**

Stepping off the elevator, Blair relieved herself of her coat as she put it on the coat rack before she peaked in to her mother's downstairs office to see that the lights were still on. Sticking her hand in to turn them off, she looked on at the darkness of the usual vibrant penthouse before she decided to head upstairs. Opening up her phone, she stopped midway as she looked on at Dan's name on the contact list and honestly thought for a second as to if she should call. This was crazy, this is absolutely crazy she thought to herself as she stared down at his number swearing to herself that she shouldn't call. Gaining a sudden need to just close her phone, Blair closed the phone then made her way up the stairs to head to her room. Stopping yet again on her path to her room, she pulled out her cell phone yet again and went to his name. Like before she took a moment to think and really understand the meaning of this, understand that this was going beyond sex, this was going beyond an attraction…this was wanting and needing his presence at a time where she shouldn't want to around him. Pressing the call button on the phone, she put the phone up to her ear as she opened the door only to finding him sitting on the edge of her bed. Standing in shock in the doorway, a part of her felt like her mind was playing a trick on her because at the moment she needed him…he was there. He was always there to the point where she expected him to be there, slowly rising from his seat on her bed, she turned to close the door before looking back towards him.

"I'm not that guy" Dan said after a moment of silence "I tried to be, but I'm not that guy. I can't be the other guy or maybe I can't even be that guy for you because….this, the affair can't go on" he told her as she stood there unsure of how she should respond because a part of her wanted to say something sarcastic but knew in this moment it probably wasn't the best route to take

"Then what do you want?" Blair asked

"I don't know, but I want to figure that out without us sneaking around" Dan told her

"I'm not understanding Humphrey" Blair said

"I don't want to be the guy that hurts someone else because their all messed up. I've watched my dad suffer through it, and I don't want to be her…so don't ask me to be" Dan told her

"I wouldn't…I don't want you to be your mom" Blair quickly replied knowing that his mom was a touchy subject for him

"I can't explain this, but I feel something when I'm with you. I feel these moments that makes me want to kiss you or just be near you in any way possible. It's scares me because as much I want to chalk this up to being some sexual thing, I can't stop these feelings and I'm not sure I want to…I'm not sure I can, and I've tried" Dan said as he began to pace the floor

"So what are you saying?" Blair asked

"I'm saying that the affair is over, my relationship with Serena…" Dan said before Blair put her hand to his mouth

"I don't want to know. I don't need to know where things stand with her" Blair quickly said "I know your trying to be that guy, but I don't want to know…not for tonight at least" she said feeling as if the guilt only piled on by hearing her name

"So then what?" Dan asked

"Could you?…" Blair said as tears welled up in her eyes "Could you just stay with me tonight?….we don't have to do anything, I just had a tough night and I just need to be around someone that I trust" she told him. He could have asked as to what she meant, but he knew that she wasn't ready for a lengthy conversation or any analyzing of what they were because it was clear that they were both seeing that this was more than an affair. Taking her hand, she felt a sense of relief go through her body by the simple touch of his hand intertwined with hers as he lead her over to the bed. Getting on the bed first, he moved over so that she had enough space to lay beside him before she finally joined him on the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, they both felt nervous as they had never just laid together awake knowing that the other was probably thinking the same things. Slowly looking towards him, she felt a sense of safety and security by being next to him. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned to look at her and what felt like hours, they looked at each other. No clothes removed, no sexual advances, they just looked at each other as if they were finally asking themselves the questions they were trying to deny for the longest. Could this be more? They each thought until they finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Rushing through the penthouse, Dorota looked through drawers in search of her key card. Coming to the conclusion that it wasn't downstairs, she made her way upstairs to go to the upstairs office to see if someone had put it in there by accident. Passing by Blair's room, she was caught off guard to see the light still on in her room, hoping to not alarm the young woman, Dorota peaked in to see Blair and Dan laying together. Usually she'd just think that they were watching movies together and he had drifted off to sleep, but the way she was nestled into his body, it just seemed like they were fully aware that they were sleeping with each other. A quick smile came to her face as she was glad that she finally figured the two out before she backed out, making sure not to disturb them. Turning the lights off, she quietly closed the door behind herself before she finally resolved to find the key card tomorrow. Hearing vibrations come from her cell phone, Blair slowly awoke to see that she was well within Dan's arms before she looked up at him to see that he was peacefully asleep. Turning over softly in an effort not to wake him, she reached over to grab her phone as she propped herself up before answering. Looking on at the caller identification, Blair saw that it was an unknown caller and for a moment she thought not to pick up but she feared that it might be Serena calling after a drunken night.<p>

"Hello" Blair answered still half asleep

"Roses are red, violets are blue. I have a video that will show what Serena can do. You have seventy-two hours to get me a hundred grand or else she'll become an internet porn star" The Auto Tuned voice said on the other line before hanging up.

* * *

><p><strong>Music Lyrics in the Chapter:**

**The Veronicas- Popular**

**Across the Sky- Everywhere She Goes**

**Nicki Minaj- Save Me**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. This chapter in my opinion in this turning point to the final four chapters/episodes of season one. So as usual, I want to explain what went down in this chapter. Lol. In this chapter, I want to reinforce the fact that Blair is Queen Bee and that she's ruthless, which is gonna come into effect in the next chapter as you see that the chapter ended with a threatening phone call. Dan and Blair have reached a point to where they are realizing that there maybe be something more than an attraction there between them. Jenny of course is still spiraling and finally catching the point that Blair is not to be messed with, but I have to say that Blair does have a bit of a soft spot when it comes to Jenny for more reasons than her just being Dan's sister. I'm probably rambling right now because I'm watching television and trying to remember points to say. So forgive me. We have four chapters left, so I guess this is the point where I ask if you want a remixed season two? I'm actually pretty excited for the next four chapters. So I'll just stop babbling now and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Thank you for reading and stay tuned.**


	15. Desperately Seeking Serena

**Author's Note: Took me a while, but I finally did it. Yay! I've had so many distractions every time that I have tried to sit down and write. So I'm truly proud of myself for finishing this chapter. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and once again thank your for all the reviews...I read everyone and take into account what you say, so they do matter to me and I greatly appreciate those of you that do it on a regular basis. After this there is 3 more episodes/chapters left...oh, the suspense. i was actually thinking of writing a preview for the next three episodes, but I think I want to keep you guys guessing...but if there is an uproar for it, I might have to write the preview :) Well I hope you enjoy the read, and I look forward to the feedback :)**

**Question: Do you want a Season Two Remix? (I know I asked before, but I want to ask again for those who didn't respond and might change their minds after this chapter) **

**Chapter Fifteen- Desperately Seeking Serena**

Hearing the coldness of the voice on the other line sent chills down her spine, she had only heard voices like that in the horror movies but to hear it on her line just made it all so scary. Doing her best to try to recall the number that had just called her, she reached a moment of defeat when she realized that it was an unknown caller. In that instance she felt like an idiot to think that someone would blackmail her and have the number show up. Hoping to hear from Serena soon, Blair just kept running through her head as to how she was going to handle this because getting threatening phone calls had been a first for her, but she had never been on the receiving end of blackmail. Poking his head back into the room, Dan could see that Blair was trying to do all that she could to keep it together but he knew that she was a little shaken by the call. He had wished that he would've woken up, when he heard her phone going off that way she wouldn't be so alarmed. Leaning up against the door frame, he looked on at her just trying to put together a make shift plan, but he felt a little guilty that a part of him liked that she was so vulnerable at this point. Blair Waldorf was the strongest person that he knew for her age, but watching her at a point where she had to scramble to put herself back together was something beyond beautiful in his eyes. Unable to take in his own satisfaction, he walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed before a moment of silence came between them. Running her hand through her hair, she wanted to gather herself before speaking because all though Dan had seen far worse of her, she wasn't ready for him to see her at another low point.

"I called Carter, he should be over here soon" Dan told her

"Why'd you call him?" Blair asked

"Because he's mentioned that he's good at all things computers and some other crap…I know it's a far stretch, but we've got nothing to lose. The sooner we can find this prick then we could move past this" Dan replied

"I feel like such a girl right now. I mean I've blackmailed people like its nothing, and now that I'm on the receiving end…I just feel wimpy right now" Blair confessed

"Waldorf, I have a newsbreak for you…you are a girl" Dan smiled at her

"Not that kind of girl though. I give threats, not get threatened" Blair quickly refuted "I hate the feeling" she said trying to shake the unwanted feeling out of her as her face contorted

"What'd they want?" Dan asked

"One hundred thousand dollars" Blair told him as he just laughed to himself by the insane amount of money they had access to

"I still haven't gotten use to it" Dan laughed

"You barely get used to one dollar" Blair replied "This isn't funny though, this is serious…this is…this is bad" she told him

"Yes, one hundred thousand bad" Dan nodded

"You want to know how I know I'm being super girly?….I was actually relieved to know that you were here. I mean why would I want that? You've hardly the muscles to protect me from a big bad" Blair teased towards the end

"Yeah, your probably right. I mean if we were to be attacked, I'd have to just let the person man handle you" Dan joked "But I would get a good nights sleep because your bed is unbelievably comfortable" he said laying back on the bed "I know you liked being in my arms though…I just hate that you snore so loudly" he teased

"I don't snore" Blair said before Dan held down all the pillows in her reach

"I knew you'd do that. I know you so well Waldorf" Dan laughed before they could hear the elevator doors open

"Don't tell Carter about what happened between us tonight" Blair warned him

"Rest assure, I'm not even sure what happened here tonight between us" Dan shrugged before he looked off at a familiar garment of clothing in the corner of the room "Is that my jacket?" he then asked before Blair quickly dragged him out of the room. Noticing the attempt of them trying to play off that they weren't together, Carter laughed to himself because as much as they tried to hide it, he knew what was really going on between them with or without Dan divulging information. Following behind Blair into the living room, she put her phone down on the table as they all took a seat on the sofa.

"So…how was your night?" Carter smiled at the two "Did you braid each other's hair?" he teased them before Blair turned attention to Dan

"I'm all ready hating the fact that this is your solution to the problem" Blair told him

"She got an autotuned voice that called her, they gave her seventy two hours to come up with hundred thousand" Dan told him as Carter quickly became intrigued

"Really? Autotuned, guess T-Pain isn't the only one using the damn thing. Why hundred grand?" Carter asked

"I don't know, we didn't discuss a suitable number…the voice or person said hundred and I being scared out of my mind just took it as the final offer" Blair replied sarcastically

"What'd they threaten you with?" Carter asked "Was it just the money?" he asked as he pulled out his lap top before reaching to grab her phone

"The voice has tapes of Serena…" Blair said as she looked from Carter to a now curious Dan with the mention of the name "having sex" she answered as Dan just shook his head in disbelief

"Of course because that is typical in the Upper Eastside" Dan sighed

"You wouldn't believe what is typical, at this point it was bound to happen with Serena" Carter said as he took the chip out of Blair's phone to insert into his lap top

"Okay, what's with all the hi-tech crap your doing?" Blair asked as she observed Carter

"When did she make a sex tape?" Dan asked

"I don't know, when she was having sex" Blair replied as Dan just looked at her "The only one that I could remember that she told me about was about three years ago. She had met this guy that was video assistant on an editing house, so he had a tendency to record them from time to time" she said

"Do you know who the guy was? Maybe it was him?" Carter asked

"I'm not stupid" Blair declared "I had Serena call the guy, and he swore that he never did anything with the tapes. I have reason to believe him because he had a pretty crappy job, and if he wanted a big pay off then putting the tapes out there would be the way to go. Checked his local circles, and he's still driving a Toyota Corolla" she said

"And a Toyota Corolla adds what to his credibility?" Dan asked

"That he's a dumb ass for not selling the tapes. Toyota Corolla means that he's still a lackey" Carter replied

"Or economically smart" Dan quickly pointed out "I mean to those who drive around in actual cars and not limos, gas is kind of expensive" he told them

"If you had a sex tape of a girl that is practically in the newspapers every day of the week, gets paid to make appearances, and has numerous celebs on her call list….don't you think you would cash in on that, you know, surpass the coffee runs and make your own coffee requests?" Blair asked

"She does have a point" Carter agreed

"Of course I'm right, it's the only logical thing" Blair said

"Not everyone lives by the whole get rich or die trying motto" Dan said

"Really? Your bringing album titles into your argument, now I know you don't believe what your saying. Face it, he's not our unknown caller" Blair said before Carter's laptop made a beeping sound came from his computer that caused him to turn his attention back to the screen to see what he got "There's nothing clear on the number?" she asked

"Nope" Carter replied

"Okay, someone needs to step up in this scenario because as of now, with you two I'll be lucky if we can even figure out the what cell phone provider the caller is under" Blair said

"Look, the number isn't clear. If they call again then I'll be able to trace the number" Carter said

"So I'm hoping for another threatening call?" Blair asked

"Basically, but this time I will enable the computer to pick up the call that way it could run an automatic trace" Carter said

"That made no sense to me" Dan said

"I didn't expect it to" Carter replied "Do you have anything to eat or something? I'm craving a turkey sandwich" he told him

"What is it with the whole turkey deal with you two?" Blair asked

"Turkey is turkey, it's just good" Dan replied

"Yes, that makes me crave a sandwich as we speak" Blair said sarcastically as her phone began to ring. Quickly moving in closer towards the computer, Blair did all she could to remain calm like before when she answered so that she wouldn't slip up. Turning the computer towards her so that she could speak clearly into it, Carter instructed her to act normal "Hello" she answered

"Deliver the money to 36° 10' 30" North, 115° 8' 11" West. You'll get your next clue from there, be there in the next twenty hours or else I'll release the tapes" The autotuned voice said before the call ended

"Coordinates? What the hell is that?" Carter asked as he finished up writing his notes

"Anything?" Blair asked

"I'm pulling a McDonalds number" Carter told her as they could hear Dan mumble to himself

"Longitude, latitude. Longitude, latitude. Longitude, latitude" Dan kept saying to himself as he was trying to think

"Humphrey?" Blair asked as she turned to look at him while he pulled his cell phone up to pull a map up

"Clark County" Dan quickly stated "Clark County, Nevada" he told them

"Clark County…..Las Vegas, we have to go Las Vegas" Carter concluded

"Are you making this up?" Blair asked

"Doesn't it make sense? What other place can you just show up with a hundred thousand dollars?" Carter asked

"Wait, we don't even have that type of money. I mean you two do, but not at your disposal this early in the morning….maybe we should just call the cops and tell them what's going on" Dan tried to reason with them

"And let it be public knowledge that there is a sex tape out there about Serena. Some rookie cop will blab at the mouth to the press and then we'll have more bids for the tape" Blair said

"So what? We're suppose to meet this unknown person and fork over money we don't have?" Dan asked

"Look, if I could pull a number on this person, then I could get access to his accounts….don't ask, I just can" Carter said as Dan looked at him strangely

"We don't involve the police" Blair told him

"And the money?" Dan asked "Do you have that kind of cash?" he asked her

"I do" Carter said as they looked over at him "My dad has this thing where he likes to count his money all the time, and I know for a fact that he has a stash in the vault at home" he told them

"A hundred thousand dollars?" Dan questioned

"Great, so we have the money. Now all we need are plane tickets… Nous allons à Las Vegas garçons" Blair said before she got up from her seat to head upstairs

"I'm pretty sure she just said something in French…what exactly she said, I'm unsure about?" Carter said as he turned to look at Dan in confusion

"She said lets go to Vegas, boys" Dan sighed before he headed into the kitchen

"Oh, then she could have just said that in English" Carter said "…And now I see that I'm all alone. I'll just…get the tickets" he then said

* * *

><p>Sitting in his window seat looking down at the smallness of the city that was once so big to him, Dan couldn't believe how in the manner of two hours he had manage to discover that his girlfriend had a sex tape lingering out there and now he was on his way to Vegas to retrieve it. For Blair and Carter, this was normal to do because they didn't live with restrictions or worry about money….they just did as they pleased. Dan of course didn't have that lifestyle, so in an effort to be mindful of his father, Dan had called to tell his father about his whereabouts. Now telling the truth did run across his mind, but telling your father that you were about to fly to Vegas for a sex tape just didn't sound right. Instead, he told his father that he was going to a soccer tournament that his coach suggested in preparation to the big Dalton game coming up. At first he was comfortable with the lie because it wasn't like it was too far from the truth, he was preparing pretty hard for the big game….but as time waned on the flight over, he realized he had to correct the lie. Making his way out of the aisle, Dan found himself dialing his father's number as soon as he made it into the restroom. With each ring that passed, Dan worried that his father was anticipating his return while plotting what type of punishment he was going to give him for his bad behavior.<p>

"Hey Dan" Rufus sighed

"Hey dad. Look, I wasn't telling you the truth earlier and I just wanted to clear it up…" Dan began to babble before Rufus interrupted

"I know you lied" Rufus replied

"How?" Dan asked in shock "I mean I know how, but how?" he asked before his dad let out a sigh of frustration "Is everything okay?" he then asked worriedly

"No, everything isn't fine. I came home to find your sister having a bon fire with all your mother's stuff" Rufus said "Jen was just so unresponsive when I asked her why she was doing what she was doing that I just took her to the hospital…so now I'm at the hospital" he said

"The hospital? What exactly are you hoping to accomplish there?" Dan asked

"I hoping that they will diagnose her some disorder that will explain why I can no longer recognize my daughter anymore. I'm hoping they can tell me something that will just give me hope for tomorrow and not fear what the future holds for her" Rufus said

"I don't think you'll find it there" Dan replied sadly

"Yeah, I'm becoming aware of that. You can't blame me for trying though" Rufus said

"I don't think I helped matters with telling her the way I did about mom" Dan told his father

"Don't blame yourself, what Jenny is doing is just dealing with everything that is happening in her own way" Rufus said

"But its like you said, I hardly recognize her anymore. It's like she's a completely different person" Dan said

"Believe me, I know" Rufus said as a moment of silence came between them "I just…I don't know what to do in this situation. I'm just grasping at straws on this one" he said

"Everything is going to work out. I believe that" Dan said trying to convey confidence but in all actuality he was the furthest thing from confident on the subject of Jenny

"I appreciate the words of encouragement, lets hope they work" Rufus told his son "So you mind telling me where you really are so I can be some bit of a parent tonight?" he asked

"I'm on my way to Las Vegas" Dan said hesitantly

"Wow! When you leave, you do it up big" Rufus laughed in disbelief to himself

"It's for a good reason, just look at Vegas as just another city and it will have a good reasoning behind it" Dan told his father

"You've never been to Vegas to say that, until or when you experience Vegas, you'll know there is no good reasoning behind anything there" Rufus said

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, I promise" Dan said

"Oddly enough, I believe you. I'm so worked up over Jenny that I don't think I can question you on your intentions in the land of sin….so I'm trusting you" Rufus said

"Will I be grounded, when I get back?" Dan asked

"We'll deal with that when you get back, but for now be safe" Rufus told his son

"Okay, well…thanks" Dan replied still unsure why his father wasn't upset with him for lying "I'll call you when I get there" he told his father as a lingering silence came through the phone that felt as if it were a moment of sadness

"Yeah" Rufus replied before they ended the call. Taking a moment to think about what just happened between them, Dan just looked on at his phone and truly wonder if things would ever get back to normal with his family. For the longest, Dan has a slight idea that Jenny was taking the separation pretty hard but he just figured that she would somehow deal with this. Making his way out of the restroom, Dan went back to his seat to see Blair and Carter taking in the full relaxation of first class. Taking his seat, Blair couldn't help but notice that something was off with him.

"You look…less crappy looking" Blair said as she turned to look at him

"Thanks, I think" Dan replied as he rested his head against the pillowed headrest

"You called your dad?" Blair asked

"Yeah, I called" Dan sighed

"I knew you wouldn't last long, did the thrill just get to you?" Blair said sarcastically

"Jenny had a bon fire with my mother's clothing" Dan quickly told her as she seemed a bit surprised but not too much "I mean is that even normal anymore?" he asked

"Not to you, but maybe for her it is" Blair replied

"Okay, I really need honesty on this, not just sarcasm" Dan said "My dad…he took her to the hospital, but he seems like he's so lost and confused" he said

"If he's at county hospital then he probably is lost and confused" Blair said before Dan gave her a look "Sorry, last one" she told him "Your dad shouldn't have taken her to the hospital, I think that was a bit dramatic" she said

"I know, but at this point I think that was the only logical option" Dan replied

"Logical for the boys" Blair reasoned

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked

"It means that its easy for your dad and you to say that a hospital is a logical place for her to be, but have you ever stopped to think how it feels for a girl to lose her mother?" Blair asked

"She hasn't lost her mother, I mean she's never around…" Dan reasoned

"And that is like losing a mother. All we're conditioned to know is to be pretty and love our mothers while our mothers love us back, when we don't have that…our value goes down" Blair told him "I mean she's the person you come out of, the person you look like, the person you have the strongest bond to, she's the woman that carries you for nine months…as someone who has had to deal with that, not having a mother in your life is a painful" she said drawing on her own experiencess

"Maybe its not the logical place, but something has her acting this way" Dan said

"Yeah, its called teenage years. I'm not one to buy into that belief that being a teen means you come equipped with your own set of problems, but we do have problems. She's dealing with a school in which what you wear determines your social rank, and losing her mother….your really lucky that she hasn't gone completely off the deep end because that's highly likely" Blair said

"Again, the sarcasm…every time you have a moment then you just slap me with the sarcasm" Dan told her

"Look, I can't make this any more black and white for you. There is no diagnosis out there for her because what she has is called a screwed up mother and being a teenage girl in the Upper Eastside schooling system. The only cure for that is therapy and alcohol" Blair replied "So if you want to beat that, then stop chalking her problems up as some unknown medical name because it doesn't exist" she told him

"And your sure about this?" Dan asked her

"I have the boobs to prove it" Blair quickly replied

"Uh, can we leave out your sexual escapades for this trip…I fully intend to enjoy myself and I don't need the confusion that is you two added to the mix" Carter said butting in on the conversation

"You told him?" Blair asked as she turned to look at Dan

"He's told me almost everything, I have yet to learn if your really worth it in the sack" Carter teased before she slugged Dan on the arm

"Why do I get hit?" Dan asked

"Because you're the jackass that told him" Blair reasoned "Now its starting to make sense, this is why you called Carter to help us out…he's beyond useless and yet you call him for his expertise" she babbled

"I'm not useless, I do know a thing or two when it comes to computers" Carter said

"I have yet to see where you've put your stamp on this mission" Blair told him

"I invited him because Carter is actually pretty good at computers, if you gave him a chance" Dan said

"And the reason you told him about us?" Blair asked

"Because he figured it out. I never meant to tell him, he just figured us out" Dan said

"It's true. You two reek of sexual tension that it's nauseating" Carter confirmed

"As much as I would like to delve it how much loose lips Humphrey told you about our so called sexual tension, I'm on this plane for one reason and reason only…" Blair said before Carter cut her off

"In hopes of joining the mile high club" Carter teased as Dan just glared at him

"No Baizen. That is to help Serena out of this mess. She's got too much on her plate with the wedding to deal with this, and unlike you, my specialty is all things blackmail and scheming. So this is not some fun Vegas vacation, this is us on business" Blair told him "Do you comprehend?" she asked

"Yeah, I comprehend very well" Carter said as he leaned back in his chair while slipping on his glasses

"Why do I feel like you just told me that?" Blair asked as he just continued to smile "I'm not of afraid of killing you" she threatened

"Waldorf?" Dan said as he tried to turn her around so that she was looking forward

"I mean it Baizen" Blair continued to threaten as all Carter could do was laugh

"Waldorf, the threats?" Dan said trying to pull her back towards him as people began to look on at the three of them

* * *

><p><strong>I been livin for the weekend<strong>

**But no not anymore**

**Cuz here comes that familiar feelin**

**That fridays famous for**

**Yeah I'm lookin for some action**

**And it's out there somewhere**

**You can feel the electricity**

**All in the evening air**

**And it may just be more of the same**

**But sometimes you wanna go where everyone knows your name**

**So I guess I'll have to wait and see**

**But I'm just gonna let something brand new happen to me**

Looking out the window at all that was Vegas, Dan couldn't help but feel like he was far from home at this point. It was only three hours until night time would soon come, but the feel he was getting as the evening soon waned on was that Vegas truly came alive in the night time. Ever since getting off the plane, Carter had pretty much embraced all that there was to offer and didn't seem like he was too caught up in the real reason why they were there. Pulling into The Palazzo, the hotel they were staying at, Dan felt as if this was the closest that he'd ever get to a European vacation of any sort, but he was certainly liking what he was seeing. Getting out of the limo, he could feel onlookers look at them as they tried to figure out their importance, and he had to admit that he was liking the feeling of being someone in someone else's eyes. He hadn't hoped to be that of Paris Hilton, but he did feel a boost in his ego with the whispers and stares. Making their way through the hotel, he was in awe by how many machines there were just in one building. His idea of gambling had always been trying to catch the bus ten minutes later than he should have left, but being in Vegas, he could see that gambling was on a whole different level. By passing the long line to check into the hotel, they were quickly greeted my the hotel manager before they were escorted up to their penthouse. It was no surprise that they were afforded this luxurious space because its basically how they lived back at home, dropping his bags down, Carter ran over to the nearest room available while Blair made her way up the stairs to her room while Dan stood confused of whether to join Blair upstairs or to be downstairs. Taking a few steps over towards the stair, Carter quickly came out with two suits in hand.

"I think it's time we do it up, Vegas style" Carter smiled as he looked on at his friend

**And it's alrightIt's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright**

**Bright lights and the big city**

**It belongs to us tonight**

Putting her bags down in her room, Blair was glad to finally be on land once again. She knew that Carter was probably corrupting Dan with the thoughts of Vegas, and that he was probably getting him all dolled up for the clubs as we speak. There was no time to police the boys over their actions, but if it took them getting all the fun out of their system tonight, then she was willing to make this sacrifice. Kicking her heels off as she laid back on the bed, Blair let out a deep sigh as she wanted to rest for a few minutes before kicking off her own investigation. Getting too far into her relaxation mode, Blair felt her eye lids getting heavier by the moment and the overwhelming feeling of sleep come over her. Just as she was about to fall into a slumber, Blair's cell phone began to vibrate. Slowly propping herself up on the bed, she looked on at her screen to see that it was Nate calling. There was no energy in her to talk on the phone with Nate or even fill him in on what was going on with all things Serena, frankly, she wasn't eager to talk about her plot to save Serena yet again. Declining the phone call, Blair suddenly got the urge to get rid of all the tension that was forming in her shoulders. The weight of the world was beginning to take its toll, and she needed to be clear headed in order to help Serena out.

**Now Friday's cool**

**But there's somethin about Saturday night**

**You can't say what you won't do**

**Cuz you know that you just might**

**I'm alive this eveningIt was love at first sight**

**This Saturday**

**And every Saturday for the rest of my life**

**And everyone's standin in line**

**Yeah lookin good and lookin for a real good time**

**So I'll never have to wonder if**

**I'll have someone to share all of it with**

Lighting the end of his cigar, Carter blew out a cloud of smoke as they drove in their limo. Now fully emerged into the night life of Vegas, Dan could see that he was right all along…the lights did shine brighter in the city of sin. The boys were dressed up in finely suited Ralph Lauren suits for their night out, and he hated to admit it, but Dan was starting to really get preferences on suits. Once the door opened, Dan and Carter made their way out of the limo and before they could even take a total of five steps, they were immediately met by a group of women. Carter was giddy with pleasure with feeling like a hotshot, while Dan was unsure of how he was supposed to feel due to some odd feeling that he had ever since leaving the penthouse. Not wanting to put a damper on the evening, Dan went along with the women as they made their way into the club.

**And it's alrightIt's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright**

**Bright lights and the big city**

**It belongs to us tonight**

Turning off the running water, Blair grabbed the bubble bath to pour some in along with some bathing salts. It had been a while since she had the opportunity to just soak in the bath tub, but she was glad the opportunity had arose for her. Untying her robe, she let the robe fall to the ground as she stood naked and bare. Before dealing with her bulimia, standing naked or even looking at herself naked would have never happened, but now she felt a sense of maturity in her body. She felt sexy in her own right that had nothing to do with being perfect, but just her being proud of herself, it took a while but she was comforted in the fact that her body was desired, that her body had the appeal to evoke sexual desires beyond being horny. Grabbing the remote control, she turned on the music in the bathroom before she stepped inside the tub to take a seat. Feeling the tension just melt away at the water surrounded her naked body, she reached over to grab her glass of champagne. A smile quickly came to her face as she could only imagine Carter's face, when he found out that she had gotten a hold to his imported champagne that he tried to sneak in. It was just her and the relaxing bubble bath along with her champagne, it was the good life and she needed it. Everything was turned off when it came to the social media, and she was officially unavailable to all.

**Yes I need itEverybody does**

**Cocktails and conversation**

**Music and making love**

Making his way through the crowded club, Dan scanned the area to see where he could find an exit that didn't have a person in front of it. The more he looked around the more he just felt the hope for finding and exit was becoming slim to none. Pushing past a group of people, Dan quickly saw the sign that lead him to the kitchen and without as much of a thought he followed the signs that took him through the madness that was a hotel kitchen. People shouting out orders and ingredients needed, he had only thought a scene like this existed in the movies. Happy to make out to the basement level, he could soon see the familiarity of where he was as he navigated his way to the street. Putting his hand up to flag down a taxi, he was quickly amazed to see how quick he got a taxi in Las Vegas as opposed to New York. Getting in the cab, he told the driver to drop him off back at The Palazzo hotel before resting his head up against the head rest of his seat as he just looked on at the city feeling as if this odd feeling inside of him was started to lessen with every hotel that he passed that put him closer to The Palazzo

**And it's alrightIt's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright**

**Bright lights and the big city**

**It belongs to us tonightBright lights, bright lights, bright lights**

**And the big city**

**It belongs to us tonight**

Opening up the door to the penthouse, he looked around the penthouse to see that there wasn't a sign that she had been bored out her mind that she had to roam about. It was still a mind trip for him to get used to the set up that they were staying at, but it was something that was worth getting used to. Going up the stairs, he could hear the sound of music come from within her master bedroom, and although he was going to play like he wandered off into the wrong side of the stairs, he was glad that he had found a new reason to stop by. Slowing entering inside the room, he could look into the bathroom to see that she was singing along to songs by The Fray. A smile came to his face as he couldn't believe how comfortable she was becoming in her own skin, slowly popping his head in the window, she was nearly startled by his appearance but was somewhat relieved to see that it was him. Not letting his appearance tear her away from her singing, she just continued on as if she didn't care that he was there. He loved to see her like this, he loved to see this side of her that wasn't so ashamed of her body or didn't care about being naked in front of him. From their first time together, she was so timid on even showing her body but as they progressed he found that she had become more open with him, that made it feel comfortable for him to be open with her. Undoing his tie, he took a seat on a stool by the tub as he nodded along with the song just enjoying being in her company. Giving him the brightest of smiles, he couldn't stop himself from the fun she was having. Taking off his shoe, Blair looked on with pleasant confusion to what he was doing before he joined her in the bath tub while fully clothed. Looking at him like he was crazy, she didn't know whether to laugh or just think he was crazy. Getting comfortable in the tub, Dan could hear her laughter ring clearly in his ear before he leaned in to kiss on her the cheek. Leaning back on his side of the tub, she looked at him skeptically before he splashed her with water. Sitting in shock by his gesture, she splashed him back with some water as they began a full out water fight.

* * *

><p>Feeling a sharp pain come to his head, Carter quickly brought his hand up to his head as he let out a moan of agony. Slowly sitting up on the floor, he looked around to see that he hadn't made it to his room like he had hoped he would last night. His plan was to take in Vegas, but he never expected that so much of Vegas would include a killer hangover that he saw foresaw going away in the next year. Trying his best to settle down, he did his best to put the thought of throwing up out of his head as he stay focus on the task at hand, and that was to catch the unknown and pieces of last night flashed through head as he slowly rose to his feet. Putting his hands out to stop the sudden motion sickness that was coming to him before he attempted to move. Cursing at himself as he slowly made his way up the stairs, he made mental notes to tell Blair that she should switch rooms with Dan, so that she could be much closer without him having to climb the stairs. Glad to final reach the top stairs, he wanted to do a celebration dance but it took all of him just to climb the stairs, so he didn't want to do anything that might make him throw up. Heading over to her room, he gave a quick knock to protect her delicate sensibilities before he finally grew annoyed and just opened the door. Hitting something as he opened up the door all the way, Dan slowly sat up to see that it was Carter that had entered before Blair made her way out of the restroom.<p>

"Hey party master" Blair greeted Carter "Where are the fuk me twins you spoke of?" she teased

"Please, don't speak so loudly. My head is killing me" Carter told her as he massaged his head "What are you even doing in here?" he asked Dan

"I fell asleep in here after we were watching movies" Dan replied

"That's what your calling it now, watching movies, when will you two just admit it all ready?" Carter told them

"Uh, because genius, we actually watched movies" Blair replied as she took a seat on the edge of her bed

"Then why is he half naked?" Carter asked

"I thought you were hung over?" Blair asked

"Hung over, yes. Stupid, no" Carter replied "Stop dodging, answer the question" he said

"No, she's not going to answer the question because we have nothing to hide. We need to focus on the matter at hand, and that is finding out who's blackmailing Serena" Dan said

"Your even starting to sound like her" Carter pointed out "I knew there was a reason why I cringed when I came in here" he said as he walked over to the other side of the bed to sit down

"Again, what point does he serve for this trip?" Blair asked

"I serve a great point for this trip, once I puke it up, I will tell you other reasons why I'm a great point" Carter declared

"You know, I beginning to think I should do this solo because I'd have better luck than dealing with a drunken bafoon, who's probably picked up an STD from the Fuk Me twins" Blair said

"Who are the Fuk Me twins?" Carter asked

"The girls that dropped you off last night" Dan replied "You do remember them right?" he asked

"Clearly not Humphrey" Blair replied

"The Fuk Me twins? Well did I?…am I…am I a man?" Carter asked as he looked at the both of them

"That's it, I'm done. I knew this was a mistake" Blair said as she quickly got up from her seat before Dan got up to stop her "No, no, no. My best friend could possibly have a sex tape spilled all over the internet and my only shot of stopping that from happening is by dropping you and boozer, so that I can do what I set out to do" she reasoned

"Oh, for the love of God! Will you stop hiding behind Serena for the reasons why you came out here" Carter replied annoyed

"What do I have to hide behind? I clearly didn't partake in the Fuk Me twins, so clearly my intentions were good" Blair pointed out

"No, your just partaking in Dan!" Carter pointed out "And as for my intentions, I made that clear on the plane what mine were" he said

"So you bang anything that shows interest in you, that's classy on your behalf" Blair told him

"I have no idea who the Fuk Me Twins are?" Carter declared "And believe me, at this point I'm wishing I did because they sound like they were….very willing to make this an enjoyable trip" he said

"I can not work with him!" Blair declared

"And I can't work with you, say the shorter word and stop trying to show off" Carter told her

"Will you two just shut up!" Dan yelled as they both got silent "I swear you two are worse than….you and me" he said before he looked over at Blair before he cell phone quickly began to ring. Looking down at the caller identification, she could see that it was the unknown caller that had called her previously. Scrambling around the room, Carter attached the usb piece to her cell phone to her computer before she answered.

"Hello" Blair answered

"Have you made it?" The caller asked in the auto tuned voice

"Yes, I've made it to Las Vegas" Blair replied "I have the money, and I'm ready to make a deal" she told them

"Good. Now, I want you to leave the money in a locker at the Fitz Bowling Ally on Sunset" The caller said "Put it in locker number ninety nine, and tape the combination to the back of the locker" the caller told her "Mess this up and your tape gets leaked" the caller said before they hung up the phone

"Wait?" Blair said hoping that the caller had remained on the line but only found that they had hung up "Great, so we hand over the money and just hope the tape doesn't get leaked" she said

"Oh, I don't think we'll be handing over any money today" Carter said

"And why is that?" Dan asked

"Because there is no need to go down to the bowling ally or pay a cab driver" Carter said as he continued to work on the computer

"You see, even simple questions he can't even handle" Blair turned to tell Dan "Okay, I'm gonna ask you slowly….why don't we have to pay the money" she asked soon talking to him like he was mentally challenged

"I'm not stupid" Carter fired back

"Carter!" Dan said

"Because the unknown caller has become known, it's someone we know very well and it should come as no surprise to who" Carter said as he looked over at a confused Blair

"Who?" Blair asked

"Damien Daalgard" Carter said "I picked up the cell phone signal, and I was able to get an account number. Took the account number and pulled up his name. On the account it shows that his last purchase was….Horny Housewives, hmmm…never saw that one…" he began to say

"Of course, it makes sense now. If it smells like a perv, and walks like a sleaze….then has to be Damien Daalgard" Blair said

"But he previously put a Travel Lodge on his card, and the call was picked up out in the region of where the Travel Lodge is located at in Sunset" Carter told them

"And that is why I brought him" Dan said as he turned to look at Blair

"Spare me the self righteous attitude, lets hope we can get the tape before the next skin flick movie Baizen whacks off to is the Horny It-Girl" Blair said before she walked over towards her closet

* * *

><p>Bending over to grab the newspaper, he held the back of his robe in hopes that his bare ass wasn't going to show to any onlookers. Straightening up to look at the recent winners of the latest winner circle, he shook his head in frustration as everyone around him seemed to be getting richer while he was grasping at straws on how to keep his money. Turning back towards his motel room, he slowly made his room back as the effects of alcohol from the night before was starting to hit him. Rubbing his stomach as he walked over towards the door, he opened it up to find something off about his room from when he last left it. Stepping out real quick, he looked around to see if anyone had left or was just casually walking around, but found the halls to be clear as can be. Entering the room skeptically, he closed the door behind him as he once again scanned the room to see if he could notice anything off about it once again. Running his hand through his hair, he simply began to chalk it up as the drugs and alcohol beginning to catch up to him. Tossing the newspaper onto the table, he turned towards the door before he was quickly slammed against the very door he was walking towards. Turning him around so that he could get a good look on at this so called Damien, Dan couldn't seem to piece together who he was and just figured it was yet another person from their social circle. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Carter began to search the room, finding pills and other drugs that Damien had within his possession before he landed on a auto tuned voice converter box. Picking up the box, Carter tossed it on the bed as Blair came out of the restroom with her gloves firmly placed on her hands.<p>

"I believe we've got our guy" Carter said nodding over at the box

"What the hell do you think your doing?" Damien asked trying to push past Dan but found his strength to be too much

"Just trying to get what is rightfully ours. Oh, and if you haven't figured it out by now, we're not paying you" Blair said as she looked on at the search that Carter was doing

"Where is it?" Dan asked as he pressed his forearm up against his throat, making it harder for Damien to breath

"I don't know what your talking about" Damien barely replied

"We know it was you that called Blair, Damien. So just tell us where the tape is and we won't fork over the numerous drugs you have" Carter told him

"You guys are crazy…"Damien said

"And your pathetic" Blair quickly fired back "Really? Blackmail. Have you become that pathetic that you have to resort to that for your little drug dealing?" she said

"You have no proof" Damien said before Dan threw him up against the door once more

"We have the box, and we traced the call to you. The only one that is stupid is you" Blair said "Now where is the tape?" she asked angrily

"Let go of me and I'll tell you" Damien said through gritted teeth

"Like I'd trust that option" Dan replied

"Let him go Humphrey" Blair told him "I'm anxious to hear what lies he's going to feed us" she said before Dan pushed him over towards the bed. Taking a moment to compose himself, Damien sized up the situation to see that he had no chance of getting out of this unless he cooperated

"First of all, where is your sense of humor?" Damien said

"I must've lost it when I was being threatened" Blair said "Talk!" she told him

"It was just a joke" Damien replied

"Bring one dollar is a joke, a hundred thousand is a reason to kill someone" Carter said

"Why are you even here?" Damien turned to ask as he was in utter confusion by Carter's appearance

"Moral support" Carter replied before he pushed him towards the floor

"Where are the tapes?" Dan asked angrily

"There somewhere safe" Damien replied

"If there in your presence then its not safe. Where are they?….I'm not playing with you Daalgard, I have no qualms about putting you in jail or even prison for that matter. Your pretty cute, so you'd make a good piece of ass for someone in the inside" Blair told him

"Will you at least hear my side out before you assume the worst?" Damien asked

"You blackmailed Waldorf to come out to Vegas with a hundred thousand dollars, where is the good going to come in?" Carter asked

"Uh, how about my reasoning" Damien said

"Can I just kick his ass? because I'm personally sick of him and I don't even know him" Dan asked as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration

"Who is he?" Damien asked Blair

"Dan Humphrey, meet Damien Daalgard, slime ball to all that know him. Damien Daalgard, meet Dan Humphrey, Serena's boyfriend" Blair said

"I'd say nice to meet you, but you kind of are the reason why my breathing is all screwed up!" Damien yelled at him "I have asthma, you jackass" he said

"What's his story?" Dan asked

"Father is the Belgian Ambassador, and his son…well, he's a drug dealer" Carter quickly filled in the blanks

"How do you even know Serena?" Dan asked

"I thought you trained your minions better than this?" Damien asked Blair in disbelief that Dan was so clueless as to who he was

"I tend to leave out drug dealers in the people to know list" Blair replied to him "Damien and Serena went to boarding school together, but Damien frequented the Upper Eastside here and there, but he was such a bad seed that he was always shipped away" she informed him

"So that's what Gossip Girl has out about me? I have you know that I was traveling abroad and not being shipped off" Damien said

"Let me guess, you traveled to the places that have a lenient policy on the good stuff" Carter said as he held up a bag full of marijuana

"You could say that. I got that at a cheap price, people abroad don't place the same value on Mary Jane as they do here" Damien explained

"Getting lessons from a drug dealer, this is enriching. What do you want to do with him?" Dan asked Blair

"I want the tapes, and I don't intend to fork over the money" Blair said as she glared at Damien

"Oh, I'm getting my money. You can beat me to a bloody pulp but I still have something that you want so badly, by the way, shocked that Serena didn't care to make the trip….what gives?" Damien asked

"We have enough evidence to get you put in jail" Carter said as he lifted up the drugs

"You forget that my father has the best defense attorney's on payroll. The most I would get is one day" Damien replied

"No way, with this amount…you'd have enough supply to supply the 70's" Dan laughed in disbelief by the statement before he looked over at Blair to see a look that said that Damien had a point "Right?" he asked

"His dad is fully loaded on the attorney front" Carter sighed

"So we're just buying the tapes off of you? And I do mean all of the tapes" Blair asked

"Oh, no. That's not how this works. Your buying my entry into a black jack tournament" Damien said

"You've officially started to smoke your own product because that's the dumbest thing you've said" Carter laughed

"There is a tournament tomorrow night that is guaranteed to shell out a big cash prize, that prize will do me good in investing in the latest drug that is to hit the market. I would be getting this drug then doubling my profit" Damien said

"So basically we're funding your drugs? Yes, you have great reasoning behind the whole blackmail thing" Carter said sarcastically

"What your doing is cleaning up Serena's mess. I have the tapes, and I have some anxious people, who are eager to get their hands on them but I want to stay loyal to a dear friend and give back what I think she might like to have" Damien said

"I hardly consider Serena and you friends" Blair quickly replied

"Fine, old buddies that need to catch up" Damien replied "What's it going to be Waldorf? You going to play your role or take a chance on Serena's future?" he asked as Blair took a moment to think

"Wait? What?" Dan asked as he turned to look at Blair to see she was in deep contemplation

"And all we cover is the entry cost?" Blair asked

"And ensure that I win" Damien said "You know, I need people to cheer for me" he smiled

"This is crazy!" Dan declared

"All I need is the financial backing, and leave the rest up to me….the tapes will be yours and this will have never happened" Damien said

"But newsflash, it is happening" Dan said "Blair, your not seriously going to believe him, are you?" he asked before Blair walked past him and over towards Damien

"You'll get the money, but you better live up to your end of the bargain" Blair told him

"I always do" Damien smiled "I'll text you the information on the tournament, and we'll go from there" he said

"I mean it Damien, you screw me, and I will make your life a living hell" Blair threatened him

"Believe me, I know what your capable of. Just think of a business investment" Damien said

"And your sure about this?" Carter asked her

"No, but we have a mutual understanding that we need each other in order to get what we both want" Blair told him

* * *

><p>Since leaving things with Damien, Dan had been unsure about what to think of Blair's motives behind trusting a guy like that. There were certain sides that Dan knew of when it came to Blair, but he had never truly seen the side of her that was willing to go all out to protect those that mattered to her. A part of him was touched by that side, but a part of him felt like it was the ruthless ambition of her trying to assert herself rather than see the overall bigger picture. He had heard the stories of blackmail and basic torturing of the girls of her class, but he had never seen her in high stakes threats that had the potential to be good or bad. Opting out of dinner after a long day of threatening, Carter surveyed the casinos, which was odd to Dan, but that allowed him to take this chance to talk to Blair about rethinking this decision. For the better part of dinner, she had acted as if nothing had ever happened back at the Travel Lodge, and he just seemed unsure as to how he could even bring it up in conversation without sounding awkward or weird. Looking on with much confusion as to what he was eating, Dan looked up to see Blair texting away on her cell phone. He was most certain that she was still trying to keep order back at home, but what would happen if she would to lose control on her end of the deal he thought to himself. She acted so damn normal and it just frustrated the hell out of him that he couldn't even concentrate.<p>

"Katy has clearly lost her mind….maroon and white, she might as well be the school mascot if she wears that dress" Blair laughed to herself

"Don't you think we should talk about what happened?" Dan asked

"What is there to talk about? Damien is the one that threatened me to give a hundred thousand or he'll release tapes of Serena….I think we've talked it out" Blair replied

"But your seriously going to trust a guy like that?" Dan questioned "I mean what if he's just bluffing on the tapes and wants the cash to get into the tournament?" he asked

"Trust me, Damien has something on Serena. I'm not surprised, when people have stuff on her. S, didn't exactly lead a squeaky clean life before you…she was reckless" Blair told him

"And yet you're the one trying to get her out of this situation, why is that?" Dan asked

"Because I always do" Blair replied "Look Serena has always been the naïve one, she likes to see what people can become and give the benefit of the doubt. I, on the other hand, I see people for who they really are. I don't paint them the shades I want them to be, I see them as just another person with an agenda" she said

"And me? What do you see me as?" Dan asked as a moment of silence came between them

"I see you as a guy, who needs a trim" Blair replied as Dan just looked at her

"Why do you always do that? I ask you a question about me, and you avoid it" Dan said "Is it so hard to answer a single question about me?" he asked

"I don't choose to. I mean your as about as plain as they come, what interesting thing could I say about you Humphrey?" Blair teased

"Just the truth" Dan said "All I want is the truth from you?" he said as he looked her dead in the eyes that it caused her to squirm

"You can't handle the truth Humphrey. Guys like you say they can, but they always run, when they do hear it" Blair said

"And Nate? How does he fair with truth?" Dan asked

"He's a big boy, he can handle it" Blair smiled devilishly at him "You know, your starting to become a recurring theme" she leaned forward to tell him

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dan asked

"It means your become a little too predictable now" Blair said "I don't need a protector from the big bad world, I do fine on my own" she said

"Yes, but not everyone is Upper Eastside world manageable. People can and will retaliate, when messed with" Dan replied

"As will I" Blair said "My mother is a strong, independent, and a flat out bitch in her line of work. I aspire to be just like that in anything that I do. I make no apologies for how I handle a situation, but I only do it because people need lasting impressions so they get the fact that your not someone they can play with" she said

"You talk a very good game" Dan smiled "I mean there are parts of you that scare me, and then there are parts of you that I know your trying to convey to hide just how vulnerable you really are" he said

"See, this is what I hate about you, you always believe that you can analyze a person. I am the way I am by choice, not some defense mechanism" Blair said

"You basically said it yourself" Dan laughed "You like to let people know that you won't be messed with….defense mechanism at its best" he smiled

"I've come a long way since Thanksgiving, so give me some credit" Blair said

"Yeah, you have" Dan smiled at her "I have to admit that" he said

"Is that the part that scares you about me….the way I was that day?" Blair asked

"It was something I had never dealt with before, but yeah…it scared me pretty badly" Dan said "But there are other things about you that scare me" he told her as they both just looked at each other

"Well, that's me. That's what you get" Blair replied trying not to get nervous under his watchful eyes "Maybe that's my problem" she laughed to herself "Maybe I need to become more vulnerable, and all soft…maybe that's what's wrong with a girl like me" she said as she met his stare

"I like you…I like you just the way you are" Dan said

"But yet your scared of me?" Blair asked

"As are you to me. So we're scared of each other" Dan replied

"What do I have to be scared about, when it comes to you?" Blair asked

"I don't know, you tell me" Dan said

"Now we're just going in circles" Blair laughed "You scare me, I scare you. Something has got to give" she said before Dan took a moment to study her

"Dance with me?" Dan asked after he suddenly got up from his seat

"And if I'm scared to dance…with you" Blair teased

"I'll be right there to guide you" Dan smiled

"And if I say no to this sudden need to dance?" Blair asked

"You won't say no" Dan said before she took a moment to access what his game was. Giving her a comforting smile, she slowly took his hand before he lead them both out to the dance floor. After a few moments of swaying on the dance floor, Dan could feel her heart pounding steadily against his chest like she was more nervous now than she was the first they slept together. A slight smile came to his face as he enjoyed the simple fact that he could make her nervous in a way that no one else could. He knew that she was scared of him, and he was of her but it was that fear that kept him drawn to her. It was the fear of the unknown that made him look twice and think twice, whenever he was around her. There was nothing he could do to stop his feelings, but he hoped that he could do something to encourage hers. "There's no need to be nervous Waldorf, just dance with me. That's all I want" he whispered in her ear as she let out a little laugh.

**It's a big big world**

**It's easy to get lost in it**

**You've always been my girl**

**And I'm not ready to call it quits**

It was a challenge for her at first, but she had managed to get comfortable and at ease with letting him lead. She wanted so badly to be on guard with him and remain in control, but there was this thing about Dan that made her more open with him. Being scared of him was putting it mildly to how terrified of him she really was. Everyone in her life had always been easy to read, she could distinct if they were good or bad in seconds, but with Dan, she felt like there was no clear distinction. There were sides to him that made him so annoying and so preachy, but then there were sides with him that made her feel safe and happy. The constant fact that he wasn't hers still remained heavily in her head, but yet, it was getting harder and harder to stay away from him. She knew that she was betraying her friend more than anyone at this moment, but there was this pull to him that she couldn't deny. Feeling his heart pound against her very chest, she slowly moved her face towards him as they both found their foreheads resting against each other. For a moment they rested their foreheads up against each other as they both took a moment to think about what they really wanted. Unable to take this tension between them as they swayed along with the music in the back round, she slowly leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. It were mere pecks that came off as her just trying to remember what his lips felt like, but the more she kissed him, the more she wanted of him. Breaking away from his embrace, she grabbed on to his head before she lead them out of the restaurant. Before he could even get a grasp on the situation, they were quickly making their way back to the penthouse. Usually all their actions when it came to each other were secretive, but the change in location had allowed them to be more bold than they would have been back at home. Though they were with a group of people on the way up to the next elevator that would take them to the penthouse, there hands couldn't manage to tear away from each other.

**We can make the sun shine in the moon light**

**We can make the gray clouds turn to blue skies**

**I know it's hard**

**Baby believe in me**

**That we can't go**

Luckily for them, Carter was out for the evening and was sure to come crashing in early in the morning, so by the time they had reached her bedroom, they primed and ready to go. Closing the door behind him as they entered her room, she quickly turned to kiss him. Pinning him up against the door, she could feel his hands roam her body as they just made out for what felt like hours up against the door. There was no clear cut person that was in control, as they both became subservient to the other and their desires. In the moment, he could have easily let his lust for her take over but there was a part of him that wanted to make this last and be more than just sex between them. So without even realizing it, he managed to gain the upper hand as he backed her up over towards the bed. Pulling her in deeper to the kiss, he could feel the electricity between them and it was becoming oblivious to him that she had no choice but to feel what was going on between them. Breaking away from the kiss, she lifted his shirt over his head before tossing it to the floor while he undid her blouse to do the same. Pulling her towards him a bit more so that he could have full access to her body, he began to kiss her neck. She couldn't stop the moans that escaped her as she pressed him in further before he laid her back on the bed. Going back up to her lips, he once again initiated another make out session between them. Leading a trail of kisses down to her breast, he spent a little bit more time admiring that part of her body as he wanted to make sure he paid them due respect as he unclasped the hook on her bra. Kissing all the way down the waistband of her pants, he began to undo the hook before he pulled the zipper down to reveal the red laced underwear. Taking her pants off, she leaned up to undo the zipper on his before he finally stepped out of them. Picking up her leg, he lead a trail of kisses all the way back up to her underwear, kissing the top of her underwear, she quickly ran her fingers wildly through his hair as he pulled them down. He had never quite gotten use to the fact of the things he would do to her, but in the moment of passion he just naturally did what pleased her. Slowly bringing to part her outer lips, he found that even in the dim light the beautiful wet pinkness of her inner lips made him throb. He looked longingly at her precious center for several seconds before kissing the outer lips. Taking the hint that she wanted more by her constant pressing, he then kissed her inner lips and allowed his tongue to snake out and lick along one side. Blair moaned out a shrieking sound pleasure as he began his work, and he almost felt like she was about to explode in that instant. He alternated licking and sucking parts of her into his mouth. When he reached the top and sucked on that part, Blair arched her back off the seat and howled.

**Nowhere but up**

**From here**

**My dear**

**Baby we can go nowhere but up**

**Tell me what got to fear**

**We'll take to the sky pass the moon to the galaxy**

**As long as you're with me baby**

**Honestly with the strenght of our love**

**We can go nowhere but up**

Now under the covers, there was no part of privacy that she could conceal from him as he took pleasure in invading her space. Pinning her hands back as he kissed at her neck all the way up to her lips. His head rested against her forehead as he took a moment to catch his breath before going back in. Letting out a slight whimper due to how sensual he was to her, this time between them felt different in the sense that it was more intimacy than pleasure between them, but she loved how he kept the balance between the two. Slowly thrusting inside of her, they both did all they could to contain their pleasures but it was becoming painfully obvious by their facial expressions. Putting his head in the crook of her neck, he continued on with gentle thrusts inside of her as she joined in on the rhythm. Speedy up his thrusts, it was only a matter of time before they both reached their peak. Gripping on tight to the pillow, Blair moaned out in his pleasure as he did his best to control himself before collapsing on to her body. Taking a moment to capture their breaths, he leaned up to capture her lips.

Looking out at the lights still shining so brightly from the adjacent hotel, Blair couldn't help but feel like this night was different from all the rests. They had masked their sexual encounters as it being an affair, but deep down she knew that it was more than that. She knew that it was wrong for her to have the feelings she was having for him, but they had always been so suppressed in the back of her mind that she was able to justify it as it being a part of the affair. He scared her on a deeper level than anyone had ever scared her, it was like the more she showed of herself, the more he got her. They had their differences but he got her, and stood by her even when she was sure that he'd be the first to leave. Looking on at his arm that was draped over her body as he lay restlessly asleep, she took her hand and slowly traced the outline of his arm. With a tear coming down her eye, she knew in this moment that she broke the biggest rule when it came to her supposed affair.

* * *

><p>Coming back inside the penthouse, Carter threw his key card off to the side as he carried in the breakfast that he had picked up from the downstairs bakery. Putting the bagels and pastries on a plate, he then took the orange juice out of their cup holders before making his way over to see if Dan was up. Opening up the door, he wasn't surprised to see that Dan's bed had been untouched as if he hadn't even motioned to come inside his room at all last night. It was really no surprise to him because he knew that they had this whole vibe that they were a little intrigued to see how they would be with each other outside of New York City. Though there was only so much of Blair that Carter could take, he knew that Blair had been through so much with Nate, that she was probably eager to find someone that would treat her better. If anyone knew Nate, it was Carter. To Carter, Nate had always been Captain Cardboard with no original thought to be found in his head. Closing the door to the bedroom, he headed over to the kitchen just as Dan and Blair came down the staircase. With a bit of distance between them, they still tried to conceal the obvious hook up that they had last night from him. Immediately beginning to munch on a pastry, Dan did all he could to avoid Carter's eye contact as he all ready knew what he was thinking. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Blair then joined the boys at the counter as she was more than ready to discuss the plans for this evening.<p>

"I guess I don't need to ask how you to rested" Carter said as he picked at his bagel

"Not today" Dan sighed

"Yes, not today. We have bigger things to worry about" Blair agreed "Like the entry fee" she said

"It's all been set up. I went down and paid, then last night I scoped out the tables" Carter said

"And?" Dan asked

"There is definitely a system, but I think I have it down" Carter replied

"What does that mean?" Blair asked

"Have you heard of a thing called cart counting my dear?" Carter asked

"I've seen the movie 21, does it resemble that?" Blair asked

"Gives a somewhat accurate portrayal, but basically it's the same thing" Carter replied "You know, this was supposed to be my moment where I sound really cool and all fancy with my technical speak" he told her

"I thought your deal was computers?" Dan asked

"My deal is everything, and I for one am eager about today. All I need you two to do is be the lookouts" Carter said "I've talked to Damien, and we've worked out a little system that will ensure a sure fired victory" he said happily

"I'll pretend to know why, but as long as it has us out on the first plane tomorrow then this trip will be considered a success" Blair replied

"Then we go right back to Gossip Girl territory, where whatever this thing you two have going on goes back under wraps until your respective others finally get a clue" Carter said as he sipped on his orange juice

"How is the itch going for you?" Blair quickly asked

"You can make as many references to the Fuk Me twins all you want, but I'm right and you know I am…that's why I'm getting to you" Carter said

"The only things your getting to is my nerves" Blair replied

"Look, I have no problem with what you two are doing, more power to you" Carter declared "I just think you two need to start being honest with yourselves about what is going on between you two, because its not normal to sleep with someone else while being with someone else. Well, it is, but not in your case. Sooner or later, someone is going to get hurt by this whole living in the moment deal and it just might be one of you" he said as Blair just glared at him before her cell phone quickly rung

"Who is it?" Dan asked alarmed that it might be another threatening call

"It's Nate" Blair said as she looked on at the caller identification "I've got to take this" she said before she walked over to the balcony as all Dan could do was watch her happily greet Nate once she answered the call

"One of you needs to step up to plate" Carter told him before Dan turned to look at him

"It's not that easy" Dan sighed

"Why not? I mean its clear that you like her, and its semi clear on her part that she likes you more than she puts on" Carter said "I may be the only one that see's it now, but sooner or later others are going to see it" he said

"Okay, I get it" Dan replied feeling as if he was being preached to now

"Do you really? Because I have this feeling like your just telling me that so I can shut up about it" Carter said "Dan, you're a good guy. Your probably the most decent guy I've met that has a chance to keep his soul in the Upper Eastside, but you don't have a poker face…you wear your feelings on your sleeve and its becoming too easy to see now. A while back we talked about you not being sure on which girl, but c'mon…we both know what girl your into. It's been obvious for some time now, and as your friend, I think you need to stop going with the motions and finally make it clear what you want or the person that gets hurt will be you" he told him

"I have to admit that learning about Serena's sex tape, it's all been a little more clear to me. I mean I care about Serena, and I have feelings for her…but how she can be this reckless about something as intimate as sex….I don't understand how you let someone video tape you in something so personal as sex" Dan said

"Wait, you have no right to judge her…she messed up, but your cheating on her with her best friend" Carter laughed "The sex tape is your excuse to have feelings for Blair, and to be justified for it. So let's chalk the sex tape up to bad judgment at a point in her life that she was just all over the place, but Serena is still a good person, who messed up. Don't paint her out to be the bad guy because she's not. You have two very beautiful women in your life, but you just made the mistake of choosing the wrong one. It's okay to have feelings for Serena and maybe questioning your decision" he said "You love the it-girl, but your falling for her best friend" he then told him as Dan just looked at him before Blair made her way back inside

"Okay, we need to get down to business. That involves making sure we walk out with the cash prize and the sex tape" Blair said

"I told you, I have it cover" Carter replied

"And I semi trust you on that whole card counting front, as long as it works out in the end. The sex tape part…I got us some insurance on that area, just in case Damien decides to back out" Blair said

"What type of insurance?" Dan asked

"Just information that I'll look in to if he screws me over" Blair replied happily

"You know, something is wrong with you, when you came be so vindictive and sweet at the same time….your like a girl scout hustler, with the devilish smile with crack cookies" Carter told her

"That makes no sense" Blair quickly replied

"It is when you're the one addicted to the cookies" Carter said

"Again…." Blair turned to tell Dan before he interrupted her

"I know, why did I bring him" Dan said filling in the blanks

"Aww, how cute…you two are even finishing each others sentences" Carter teased them

* * *

><p><strong>You think the way you live is okay<strong>

**You think posin'**

**Will save the day**

**You think we don't see**

**That you're running**

**Better call your boys**

**'Cause I'm coming**

Stepping off the elevator, they were each dressed to kill as appearance was everything when it came to this tournament. It was bad enough that they were probably going to be looked down upon because they were kids, but Carter saw it as an advantage because then they'll never see it coming for what they had planned. In what seemed like a slow motion walk, Damien laughed to himself as he was impressed by how well Blair had managed to snap her once ill informed minions into shape. Walking up towards him, Carter handed over the backpack full of money to Damien, who seemed to think it was all too good to be true that they were all on board with the plan. Opening up the back pack to see the stacks of money, all Damien could do was smile at how well organized they were. Falling in line, Damien joined in with the unisons walk to the tournament, knowing that it would only show that they meant business as opposed to looking like a bunch of kids wandering into the wrong area. Pulling out their Bluetooth's, Dan and Carter made sure their earpieces were to their liking before they headed down the staircase to where the tournament was held. Instantly greeted by the hosts of the event, Damien checked in by opening up the bag to show them the wad of cash he was ready to play with. The guards looked on at them strangely like they were completely out of place, but seeing the money, they chalked them all up to being a bunch of trust fund kids, who had no clue what they were in for. Going over to the Big Rollers table, Damien took his spot as Dan, Blair, and Carter separated off into the room.

**You can't be me**

**I'm a Rock Star**

**I'm rhyming on the top of a cop car**

**I'm a rebel and my .44 pops far**

**It's almost over now**

**It's almost over now**

Surveying the cards that the dealer had laid out, Carter looked on intently as he did all that he could to recall the previous ones before then. Dan, who had a perfect view of the dealers hand, giving off three coughs and then he cracked all five of his fingers. Catching on to the fact that Dan was signaling that he saw an eight, Damien looked up at Carter to see that he was rubbing his ear. After seeing the gesture, Damien quickly split his cards. Requesting for another hit, Damien looked on at his cards feeling a bit fidgety if his hand was good or not. Giving another glance over in Carter's direction, Damien saw him whistling without a care in the world, with that he decided to stay with his hand. Chatting it up with a few of the players wives, Blair found that information was coming out quicker on their husbands than it would take on finding out the latest it-girl coming into New York. Each of the players revealed their hands, and Damien did a silent celebration once he realized that he had won the hand. Breathing a sigh of relief that they were coming out the gate good, Dan counted down in his head as they were only two hundred and fifty thousand dollars away from their grand total and only seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars away from the bigger prize. Pulling out her phone, she sent off a secretive text message to Carter, who quickly looked back at her. Continuing with her gossip session, Blair flashed a quick smile over in Dan's direction as the women couldn't help but comment on how cute he was. It was odd hearing people notice him in that way, but the more she looked at him, the more she began to realize that he wasn't bad to look at, in fact, he was pleasurable to look at.

**I guess**

**You ain't heard that we swallow guys**

**It's too damn late to apologize**

**When you see the mantle or will you see the skies**

**It's almost over now**

**It's almost over now**

Passing out the cards, Damien organized his cards while trying to get the running count all caught up in his head. Taking one finger, Dan brushed his brow before taking another to wipe the other brow. Letting out a slight laugh, Carter was finding it funny how into it Blair and Dan were getting. Blair still so involved with her chit chat with the women, he almost thought that she was trying to recruit more minions for her Las Vegas minion circle. Running through his head on what to do with a total of eleven, Carter tapped his hand two times to signal that he wanted to double down. Looking on at the players beside him raise the stakes of what they were betting, Damien found himself battling his inner instincts but as he looked on at his competitors raise higher and higher, he knew he had to do whatever it took to get to the bigger prize and playing it safe was not going to be the way.

"What the hell is he doing?" Blair whispered into her ear piece

"I don't know, I think he's thinking of raising" Dan replied

"No, no, no. We have to do this slow and steady" Carter said as he looked on intently

"That sounds familiar. Make sure he sticks to the plan" Blair scolded Carter

"I can't really do that from here" Carter said

"Do one of your signals that shows your foot in his ass because that's what's going to happen if he screws this up" Blair replied before Damien pushed all his chips forward and a huge gasp came from within the room as it was just getting good.

"And the jackass raised the stakes" Carter sighed in frustration

"What does that mean?" Dan asked

"It means that we've got to play it close to the vest or we'll be out of a sex tape and a hundred thousand dollars" Carter said

**You think that you don't have to ever quit**

**You think that you can get away with it**

**You think the light won't be ever lit**

**It's almost over now**

**Almost over now**

Everyone sat on the edge of their seats as they anxiously looked on at all of the players in hopes that a winner would be shown soon. If she were a nail biter, Blair swore as if she could be biting hers down to the bare bone. Pacing the floor nervously, Carter kept up the count in his head to the point where it felt like he was talking to himself. How could they have trusted a guy like him? Dan thought to himself as he nervously shook his knee. How could they just put faith in a drug dealer? He continued to think to himself as his attention went from the game to Carter then to Blair, who looked more than horrified. Of all the people that had something to lose, he'd think that it would be Serena but the way Blair looked made her feel as if she was failing her friend. There was some part of him that wanted to jump from his seat and strangle Damien for being so damn risky, but he knew that if this was going to go down the pipes then it would have to be with everything all in. Damien scanned the other opponents and couldn't manage to read how they were thinking, but he knew that he couldn't look into the crowd because there'd only be three angry people waiting to kill him for being so bold. Grabbing a seat on the end of the bench, Carter covered his face with his hands as he just hoped that Damien would at least walk away with something. Nervously tapping his finger against the table, Damien felt as if he was having a mini heart attack while sitting at the table.

"I don't know if this counts for anything, but…the dealer has nine" Dan muttered as Carter quickly stopped shaking his head

"What?" Carter declared as he looked up

"Is a nine supposed to mean something?" Blair asked

"What's your hand?" Carter mouthed as he asked Damien from the table before he rested both of his hands up against his face then spread one of his hands out on his face to show "Fifteen. He's got fifteen" he said excitedly "Hit. Damien, hit" he cheered on from the side

"Hit me!" Damien quickly declared

* * *

><p>Popping open a bottle of champagne, Damien lit up with laughter as Carter handed him a champagne glass to begin the party with. Getting a narrow victory to win the grand prize, Damien was now a millionaire on his own merit and they all were glad that they managed to get out unscathed. Passing out glasses to Dan and Blair as they circled around the counter with smiles plastered all over their faces. Blair hadn't exactly planned this when she thought of coming to Vegas, but the fact that they ended up on the good side was a bonus to her. She'd never admit it, but she was glad that Carter had come along because without his expertise in all things computers and card counting, they probably wouldn't have won, but then again that was something she'd never tell. Gabbing his prize money, Damien poured the money out on to the table to where stacks of money was everywhere as all they did was sip on champagne. Never in his life did he think that he would see this much money, but to them it was just so normal….it was taking a while for him to get used to this.<p>

"I have to give you due credit Baizen, your quite the catch" Damien smiled

"Whoa! Is this a declaration of love?" Carter asked

"No, its not a declaration of love. This is a declaration of admiration of talent. I mean the system you had was brilliant down to the final detail" Damien said

"Well, it's a system that made sense" Carter said

"Not to me it didn't. You guys had the whole hand movements and coughs…I thought Humphrey was sick there for a moment…but it was actually pretty brilliant" Blair commented

"Your actually giving me a compliment?" Carter asked "Wow, the Vegas has brought about a new person in you" he laughed

"So how would you feel about taking your talents to Atlantic City with me. There is the another jack pot to be had and we'd be set….you'd get a fifty percent cut" Damien told him "So are you in?" he asked

"How about Baizen, you going to take your talents to Atlantic City?" Dan teased him

"I'd have to decline on that offer because I'm not quite sure I like you or trust you" Carter replied "But you seem less pervy" he said

"Look, I'm trying to get off of mommy and daddy's money, so the only way to do that is to make my own rules….do it my way" Damien said as he poured himself another glass of champagne. Finding Damien to be quite the cocky loser, Dan was torn from his thoughts when he felt a vibration come from his cell phone

"And that's my queue to leave" Dan said before he headed out to the balcony

"So while I find your presence to be that of creepy and a complete lapse of judgment, I think you should cough up what you owe us" Blair said as she looked back to make sure that Dan was outside completely

"Why? Brooklyn can't handle the skins?" Damien laughed

"How would you feel if it was your girlfriend?" Blair quickly asked

"I'd be okay with that" Damien replied before looking over at Carter

"I'd be fine…as long as I got a copy and everything. I might even put it on my iphone…my ipod, just listen to it when I go to bed and just repeat all night long…I mean I would upgrade my sound system every damn month to hear that…"Carter babbled on before Blair cut him off

"We get the point!" Blair snapped at him "Give up the skins…I mean the tape" she told him as he reached into his back pack to pull out his stack of dvd's

"You've got the whole product put together and everything" Carter laughed as he look on at the dvd

"Product placement, I aim to please, visually and mentally" Damien said

"This is why I find you disgusting, this pure reason just makes you the scum of the earth in my opinion" Blair told him as Carter and Damien laughed

"It's my pleasure to disgust you" Damien smiled at her but she just found any show of affection from him to be slimy and repulsive

"Well I would love to stay behind and listen to the banter, but I have finally caught up with the Fuk Me twins. So I don't want to keep the ladies waiting" Carter smiled "Waldorf, don't lock me out. Damien, go fall off a cliff….and to that, goodbye" he said as he walked out of the penthouse

"You know, if you have nothing to do tonight…" Damien said as he turned to look at Blair

"I wouldn't be doing you if that's where your trying to hint at" Blair quickly shot that idea down "Are these all the tapes?" she asked

"The one's I can find…if some were to resurface then I don't know what to tell you" Damien smirked

"If any of them resurface, then I would hate for the Ambassador to get pictures of you selling to a minor…I mean imagine what that would do his re-election campaign" Blair smiled at him

"You've done your research" Damien laughed as he pulled out the master copy from his jacket pocket "I was afraid you were getting soft" he said

"Well, I don't take kindly to threats" Blair replied "Especially when they're against my friends" she told him

"Of course, I mean if anyone knows how ruthless you are, it would be me. I mean I know you better than the two schlubs you've accompanied yourself with" Damien said

"And where exactly are you going with that statement?….let me guess, another diatribe, in which you convince me that you're the only guy who gets what I need, in the sexual sense of course" Blair quickly filled in the blanks "Spare me your propaganda" she told him

"No, I've given up the hopes of us being bed mates. Your clearly still a little lamb prancing through the forest" Damien said "But what I meant was that I know your secrets Blair…I know all of your secrets. What has it been two years to the date?…you know since…"he said before she interrupted

"I get it" Blair said "What's your point?" she asked

"My point is that you don't have to worry about me. I have no intentions of crossing you and your friends because I think sooner or later karma will come back around to haunt you" Damien said

"Well if karma does show up, then I'll be glad to greet it with a smile" Blair said

"There's only so long you can hide behind that story before everything starts to crumble, and you'll need as many people on your side as possible" Damien said

"And what? I can depend on you to be there for me, for us?" Blair asked

"Hey, we were all in the same circle once…I wasn't always being shipped away" Damien said "Just be careful" he told her as he zipped up his back pack

"I'll heed your warnings" Blair said as he slowly walked over towards the door

"If your ever in Atlantic City, you should look me up….we'd have a good time in between the sheets. Oops, I meant to say…well you know" Damien teased

"Goodbye Daalgard" Blair told him before he gave Dan a nod goodbye as he entered the room just as Damien was leaving. Joining her at the counter, Dan looked on at the dvd's and was in disbelief that there was so many copies

"Is this all of them?" Dan asked in a sad tone that Blair quickly picked up on

"Yeah, this is all of them" Blair said "Did Serena call you just now?" she then asked

"No, Jenny did" Dan replied as a moment of silence came between them

"And? Did she blame you for the latest tragedy in her life because let me warn you that its typical of girls to blame everyone and anyone within arms length" Blair said

"No, she didn't do that" Dan said as he tried to laugh it off but found his eyes to become watery instead "She was just sad and crying" he said

"Did you two have some heart to heart or something?….Humphrey, this whole suspense thing isn't working for you, just spit it out" Blair told him

"My dad filed for divorce. My parents are making it official" Dan said as she Blair froze for a second unsure of to make a sarcastic comment or just…she wasn't sure what to be with him. Noticing her expressions, he just laughed as this was the first time that she had truly been speechless around him "That's what I feel, I mean I knew it was coming but…its like its finally been put out there and its going to be official. So I'm not sure how to act or even feel. I thought I would be like good grief and thank God it's over, but I don't feel that way right now…I actually feel kind of sad" he babbled on as his eyes filled with tears

"That's to be expected. I mean you being unsure about how to feel" Blair said trying her hardest to get this right

"Yeah, it was to be expected" Dan said trying to force a smile but found it hard to do so

"Humphrey?" Blair asked

"Yes" Dan trying to hide his tears

"Is this where I hug you? Because I feel like I should hug you" Blair asked as he just nodded

"Yeah, I think we can hug on this" Dan said before she slowly wrapped her arms around him. She had always used to comforting Serena that she wasn't quite sure how it worked with a guy. Nate had never really opened up to her or breathed too much about family problems, so it was all so new to her on how to act with Dan. Their banter like relationship had been one that had moments of compassion, but it always consisted of him being there for her. Patting his back as he let out silent tears, she just did what came to mind and was just there for him in all senses of the word

* * *

><p>Sprawled out on the balcony floor, they both laid back looking on at the numerous lights that Vegas had to offer. After what felt like hours of him trying to get himself together to where he was at least Humphrey like, Blair held back on her usual comments not wanting to kick him while he was down. It was hard, but she felt like she owed him that for all that he was losing in this moment. Turning her attention from the lights to the stars, Blair had never thought that she'd be doing something so simple as looking on at lights and stars with Humphrey of all people. He felt like a little kid once again, where the stars seemed reachable and the lights seemed to guide you onto the next journey. Though they weren't physically touching each other, he felt like they were closer than ever that he could hear every thought that ran through her head at this moment. Never had he expected her to be here with him or him to even be in this moment with her, but he definitely didn't mind it.<p>

"I actually like Vegas" Dan said

"Figures? I mean you got to catch a slime ball and scam one million dollars, all in the hopes of getting a sex tape. That's only a story that can be said in Vegas" Blair laughed

"Yeah, I know" Dan smiled "But I like Vegas for other reasons" he said

"What other reason is there?" Blair asked

"Because I feel like I've really had a chance to see how things are, not what I want them to be" Dan said "I mean back in New York, I wanted my family back together, but the reality is that my family will probably never be the same" he said "I hate my mom. The whole time I'm trying to talk to Jenny as she crying, I'm telling her that mom and dad love her, just trying to make both of them look good in her eyes, and the whole time I'm thinking that this is her fault…this is my mom's fault" he told her

"Regardless if you tell Jenny, who was wrong or not, she's going to figure it out. You can't lie to her, lies is what lead to this" Blair said

"Yeah, lies lead to the downfall of everything and everyone" Dan sighed before he turned to look at her "I know me crying probably messed up my whole manly card" he said

"Oh, you were never a man to begin with" Blair teased "I mean your not bad to look at, but you've got some preferences that are on the feminine side" she laughed

"Okay, I guess my time ran out on the whole Blair being nice to me timer" Dan laughed

"Your timer ran out two minutes ago, I really wanted to say something about that whole crying sound you made back there" Blair laughed

"You've got jokes, that's real funny" Dan smiled "I was thinking we should go over to Caesar's Palace, watch Celine Dion. I just hopes she sings that classic song you had going for you, when you were dealing with the break up….what was it?" he asked towards the end as she quickly sat up on the floor

"Humphrey, shut up. Don't even go there" Blair laughed as she hit him

"All by myself. Don't want to be. All by myself" Dan sang jokingly "I remember that so vividly like it was yesterday, I mean that day was just a mind cluster with how you were acting" he said

"I was dealing with a break up" Blair reasoned "Like you haven't had a break up song" she said

"I never had a girl to break up with" Dan said "So the whole break up song was new to me" he laughed

"You have much to learn about females" Blair said

"And to think that the very person you were crying about then is the person your dating now" Dan pointed out "How time flies" he said sadly

"Things are different. He's different" Blair replied

"No he's not. Nate is the same guy, you just want that fantasy" Dan replied

"I'm sorry if I want the love story or some half ass version of it. I mean we've had our share of problems but Nate is…" Blair said before Dan cut him

"Nate will never make you happy. Nate will never be that one because you know in your heart of hearts that he isn't that guy" Dan replied

"And you know this how?" Blair asked

"I see it in your face. I see it when you look at him" Dan said looking her dead in the eyes as he sat up "You want him to be the one, but he's just not" he said

"That's your opinion" Blair replied

"It's the truth" Dan said "Your more than you give yourself credit for, and yet you still dim your light to shine next to him. When will you get that your better than him? you have more to offer than you even know" he said

"Life is not a fairytale, at least not for me" Blair said

"It could be" Dan said "I mean if anyone deserves it, it's you" Dan told her "Your amazing. Your beautiful, amazing, and to me…your perfect" he said looking her dead in the eyes "Being here, I've come to realize that I can't fight what I feel for you. I can't deny the fact that I chose the wrong girl" he said

"Don't say that" Blair said shaking her head

"Why not? It's the truth" Dan said before he leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. Feeling as if her heart was racing a mile a minute, she couldn't believe that he managed to make her feel this way even when she was trying so hard not to "You and I…we should be the couple. It should have always been us" he told her after he broke the kiss so that he was a mere centimeter away from her face "And I'm not going to deny that any longer. I'm ending things with Serena because for the life of me, I can't get you out of my head" he told her as she just looked at him with a stunned expression on her face while they just stared at each other.

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics used in this Chapter:**

**Cee-lo Green: Bright Lights, Bigger City**

**Justin Bieber ft. Chris Brown: Up remix (No, I don't have Bieber fever. I have Bieber symptoms, but no fever that will cause me to use every song of his)**

**N.E.R.D: Rockstar**

**Author's Note: Oh, how I loved to write this chapter. With this chapter, I really waned to change it up from what was originally done, so I had come up with the idea while I was writing the Blair Bitch Project. I wanted to make it very light, and less dramatic by adding two guys that are all about the light and innappropriate comedy, Carter and Damien. I tried to make it very much an actual problem that you'd see a rich kid go through in the news (Paris Hilton comes to mind) and thats the fact that sometimes what you do in private gets in the hand of the wrong people, in this case Damien, but he's not too bad of a was getting some love in the reviews, and I love Carter in this story...so I wanted to hook him up with more dialogue and interaction with Dair/Blair to show how they'd co-exist. I try to make Carter the voice of the people, he's going to say the truth and not care if he's stepping on toes or smacking the elephant in the room, so I loved him in this chapter. Some of you are probably loving that it was Jenny free, but I hate to burst the bubble but she's still very much in the bubble after this, sorry I had to, I didn't want to get hopes up. In this chapter I wanted to remove Dair from their confusion of what is New York and the roles their supposed to be in at home, to put them in a place where it's okay to be sinful. As you see Dan has finally turned the corner of realization and admits it to Blair that he wants more from her and them...wait for it, wait for it, he's dumping Serena! :) :) :) I wanted to cheer with those of you, who were probably like finally during the story. I think the funny thing is that I go back to read the story and sometimes I forget I write it, so I'm like commenting as well about when the hell is this going to happen or like I'll be saying Blair has got to realize that he likes her...but the writer in me has always believed that pacing makes for a good story and shows the characters flaws, so you can explain them so that way people don't just hate them instantly. I know Jenny isn't too much a favorite in the story, but I think what was wrong with Jenny in the show was that they didn't use her the right way...yeah, she's a little obsessed with popularity but there was no real reason or connection to her. I hope that in the end of this season remix, that you'll be open to Jenny's storyline and see the progression and possibly be open to her if there is a Season Two remix (Again: Do you want a Season Two remix?) So I want to stop babbling because I needs some sleep, but thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed :) if you have questions, please ask. THREE MORE LEFT! OH, THE POSSIBILITIES**


	16. All About My Brother

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews. I greatly appreciate them, and hope that you will enjoy this chapter. I thought I would give you an early update as a treat since I have been late many times on updating. I'll probably be updating earlier this week as well, maybe by Thursday or Wednesday because I'm anxious to get the last 2 Episodes/Chapters out to you guys.**

**Important Note: I always like to start off the chapter by thanking you guys for reading the story/chapter and giving great feedback because as a writer the greatest thing is to have feedback. I want to remind you that I do read each and every review that I get, sometimes I even go back to reviews to look over so I can draw ideas off of shock or twist what you think is gonna happen so I can leave you surprised. I have gotten nothing but positive responses and I greatly appreciate them but I want to address a review I got that kind of irked me a bit. I've written on this board for about ten years with this username and others, I write here because I see this as a way to put my work out there because I hope to be a televisions writer, but I want to remind everyone that half the writers on here don't give polished work but just want to get feedback on their ideas and thoughts. It's hard to write something and share it with over thousands (I'm guessing on the number) of people that you don't even know or come to know just by username. I have mad respect for the fellow writers on this board because its a brave thing to do, and as a person that reads stories on here I don't always love or like what I read but I would never critique their work to where it feels like a bashing. I believe in the rule that if you nothing constructive or nice to say then you shouldn't say it or write it at all. Usually I take into consideration to what reviews say and believe me I read my work and I even critique it heavily to point where I forget that I wrote it. I think you know when you write a review if its constructive to the story, and helpful to the writer...but this review I felt like it wasn't on the constructive side but trying to come across as saying "don't screw this story up like you did the other" type of deal. I've written stories here to know what I did wrong, but I try to do better with each story that I start but I will never be a perfect writer. I want to write for television some day, and I try to make my work like a real episode with actual storylines and character depth because thats what you see on actual television, sometimes my stories take a while to get there but that's because I outline a chapter or story ahead because I want to the character to be at certain points in their lives, but I do read my stories to see what you guys see and sometimes I agree with what is being commented, but I like to pace my stories so I can keep going with them. My goal is to put out work that I'm proud of and put out stories using ideas that I have or would have liked to see, so will I write the perfect story without mistakes...probably not, but if I screw it up then I will try again to make it right. I think the person who wrote the review knows who they are and I don't want to single anyone out to make a point, but I just want to use that review as an example to say be respectful of the writers on this board because it takes a lot of guts to post your stories, and it takes a lot of time to write these stories. So if you hate the chapter or story then don't review, believe me when we don't get reviews, we pick up the hint. I like this board because the reviews help me as a writer in and out of school, but most of all the people here are really cool and although we go by usernames, there are certain usernames that I look forward to hearing feedback from and I recognize the new ones, so that makes my day. Keep this board positive for writers like myself, because this is a great site for future tv writers to get a jist of what people want out of television. Hell I wish the GG writers would read some of the amazing fics I've read such as: The Portrait and the Pen, The Date, and others so they can actually write decent stories and keep people tuned in from week to week. So show love and support of stories. Okay, just wanted to address that issue I had with that single review,so I'll stop babbling and being preachy.**

**Chapter Sixteen- All About My Brother**

Nervously looking out the window, the girl couldn't stop her jitters as she knew she only had five minutes to get to her desired location. Looking up ahead to see how far the taxi driver had left to go in all of this New York traffic, she began to second guess herself on whether taking a taxi to the steps was the right idea. Her eyes kept going from the window to the clock then to the traffic, it was a continual cycle that she just couldn't break until she found herself in front of the steps. Finally losing the hope of that the car was going to magically lift up from where it was and land him in front of the steps at the Met, she threw down money into the passenger seat before she swiftly made her way out of the car. Running up the row of cars, her only mission was to get her ass to the steps before she would be chewed up. Looking down at her clock, she sped up her pace as she was a mere block away from the steps. Spotting the brunette's appearance, the girl nearly ran as fast as she could to make sure that once the final headcount was done that she would at least be included in it. Scanning her minion for both presence and appearance, Blair found that their efforts were beginning to wane a little bit as the school year was winding down. Going down the row of girls, Blair looked over to see and that there was an empty spot. Getting ready to inquire information on the missing minion before she could even turn her head good, a girl came collapsing onto the vacant spot.

"Now that we have everyone together" Blair said as she glared at the girl with a look that said she was fully aware of the fact that she was late "We can begin to start our strategy meeting for the campaign" she said

"Why exactly are you running again for student class president?" One of the minions asked

"Do I even need to dignify that with an answer?" Blair asked in disbelief that she was asked such a dumb question

"Sorry, I just…your just occupied with so much that I worry you may be taking on too much…" The girl said quickly back pedaling on what she said previously

"I think I can dictate on what I'm taking on" Blair replied "But if I must divulge my reasoning behind this action, it is because Yale doesn't take average people. Yale only admits those who have gone above and beyond when it comes to their school careers, so although I would love to say that I have single handedly put together some of the most extravagant social events of the year…..that won't get me into Yale" she told them

"So we have to aim for bigger and better" Katy said excitedly "We could be like secretary of school or is it state? Would you be the president of the Upper Eastside?" she asked in confusion

"Your doing that thing again that annoys me" Blair told her

"What?" Katy asked

"Your talking" Blair replied "Now, becoming class president will allow me to stand out on my application and out of the students in Constance, who are planning or should I say wishing upon a wish to think that Yale will accept them over me. Though I would like to believe that this will be a clear path to victory, there is one person standing in the way of that" she said as she paced the sidewalk

"Nelly Yuki" All of the minions said with a glare in their eyes

"Now, now. Let's save our focus for the campaign because you will all need my smarts to carry out the tasks that are required to take down a competitor such as Nelly Yuki" Blair said

"What if we just get her drunk and then…" Isobel suggested before Blair cut her off

"She's not that type of girl. She's not the kind you liquor up and hope she makes a fool out of herself. Nelly Yuki is going to require some of our best work…actual planning and scheming have to be put together" Blair said "Now have you read the required material

"Yeah, I had a question about the text…it was a bit confusing. The art of war? What type of competition are we taking on?" One of the minions asked

"First of all, The Art of War is more than necessary for this campaign. Sun Tzu's was ahead of his time, I mean the impact that he had on Chinese and Asian history and culture. It's more than necessary, and we will be using his strategy" Blair replied

"True, you can achieve success in whatever goals you have" One of the minions said trying to impress Blair "Oh, and I commend you on reaching out to the audio visual nerds, they feel very appreciated" she then went on to tell her

"Sucking up won't do you any good, that moment has come and gone for you" Blair told her "But the key thing that we need to focus on by Sun Tzu is his take on climate or timing" she said

"So now we're dealing with weather?" Katy asked

"No, you idiot. It has to deal with good and bad" Blair replied as they all gathered together, anxious to hear Blair's speech on The Art of War as if it were story time in the form of a strategy meeting.

**Rumble, young man, rumble**

**Life is a trip, so sometimes, we gon' stumble**

**You gotta go through pain in order to become you**

**But once the world numbs you, you'll feel like it's only one you**

**Now you got the power to do anything you want to**

**Until you ask yourself, "Is this what it's all come to?**

**"Lookin' at life through sunglasses and a sunroof**

**But do you have the power to get out from up under you**

**F-ck Rollies, labels, f-ck what everybody wants from you**

**They tryna Axl Rose you, welcome to the jungle**

**To be continued, we on that Norman Mailer sh-t**

**In search of the truth, even if it goes through Taylor Swift**

**Tell her this**

"_**The climate, or timing, in Sun Tzu's philosophy implied changes in the weather, seasons, temperature, etc. Although in warfare conditions the climate can be one of the most uncontrollable factors, a good leader, or general, will know how to utilize them most advantageously….."**_

Opening the doors to the abandoned hallways of Constance, Blair gripped on to her flyers as she took a moment to access the plan in her head. It would be two hours before the students would take to the halls to discuss their pointless activities from the night before, and as they flooded into the halls they would learn her darkest secret. Giving a final look at the flyers that were targeting her as a bulimic, and raising the scandalous question if she was fit to lead a school government, when she was clearly unable to lead a healthy lifestyle…she gave it one last thought as she was practically trashing herself. For the longest she could have kept this secret to herself and just justified it as the necessary actions she needed to do in order to reach that level of perfection, but now she felt like she was at a new point in her life where she was slowly letting go of who she used to be. Gaining her confidence to set the wheels into motion, Blair made her way down the hall and with each step that she took, she threw flyers up in the air. Every ounce of the floor was becoming covered with the multi colored flyers that hoisted her image. Turning back towards the covered hallways, she flashed a smile before reaching into her purse to pull out a pair of shades. If she was going to run for president, she was going to do it her way.

**No one man should have all that power**

**And then they**

**And then they**

**And then they**

**And then they**

"_**He will pick the most opportune moment to fight, using the bad weather in such a way that it causes the most harm to the enemy. Likewise, this can be applied in our personal lives too…." **_

Whispers filled the hallways as the once abandoned halls were filled with students from both Constance and St. Jude's reading the flyers that were placed throughout the schools. Girls wasted no time in going to Gossip Girl to leave comments on the recent post of the Queen Bee, Blair Waldorf. This had become the biggest news of the week to know that the girl that had enforced her standards on to girls was bulimic. Some in the hallway made jokes by doing gagging sounds and acting out her going to the toilet to throw up, while other groups began to say prayers to save Blair's soul. Hearing the mayhem throughout the morning as he came from morning practice, Dan and Carter couldn't help but feel like something big had happened. Pulling his cell phone out, Carter shook his head in sadness for Blair, as the very thing that he vowed to keep secret was the very news that people were talking about. Picking up a flyer off of the ground, Dan read it like it were the morning paper. With each word that he read, he became outraged that people could be so ruthless and low to go after personal issues. Walking to his locker, he'd grab flyers away from the random people in the boys hall as he didn't want to hear the gossip or the jokes, while Carter advised those around them to not buy into the rumors. Once he got in front of his locker, Dan pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Blair's number to see how she was dealing with this, but found that it was only going straight to voicemail. Banging his hand against the locker in frustration, Dan racked his brain trying to figure out who was behind this.

**Now when I walk in, everybody do the "Power" clap**

**Clap, clap, clap**

**Fresh for the club, I just took a half an hour nap**

**Clap, clap, clap**

**I seen people go crazy on the whole world, an hour lap**

**Clap, clap, clap**

**My socket was out the plug, now it's time to get the power back**

**I seen people abuse power, use power, misuse and then lose power**

**Power to the people at last, it's a new hour**

**Now we all ain't gon' be American Idols**

**But you can least grab a camera, shoot a viral**

**Huh? Take the power in your own hands**

**I'm a grown man, doin' my grown dance**

**I don't stop until I see the end, my vision clear, bitch**

**I'm on my Van Gogh, I don't hear sh-t**

"_**In order to succeed, we must capitalize on whatever the situation may be. Seize opportunities despite the conditions being in a state of fluctuation, beyond our control, and turn them into advantages." Blair told them as they shook their heads as if they were finally understanding the importance of The Art of War.**_

Making their usual entrance into the courtyard, they weren't phased at all by the mayhem that was inflicted upon the school. Out of the corner of their eyes it just looked like a bunch of blurred colors just running about, as it seemed that it was all people could talk about. A few of the onlookers watched them to see how they were handling the news, but her minions showed no response or had nothing to say when it came to the topic. Everything for them was like a typical day as they were the elite surrounded by the common, taking their usual seats in the courtyard. They looked around to see the courtyard full of girls either on their phone texting or gossiping with their circle of friends. For a moment, Isobel wondered if this was a fire that Blair might not be able to put out so simple, but she figured that if this was Blair's mess than surely she had a plan to put it out completely without damaging the lay of the land. Looking back over to Katy, she nodded her head as if they had reached their limit of what they needed to see. Pulling her cell phone out, Katy immediately sent off a status report to Blair, who had took a leave of absence for the day. After sending off the text, she looked on at the rest of the girls before they all rose from their seats with their Chanel's firmly in tact on their arms as they made their way to class. As they walked to class it looked like they were parting the red sea, with no person in sight wanting to get in their way.

**No one man should have all that power**

**The clock's tickin', I just count the hours**

**Stop trippin', I'm trippin' off the power**

**'Til then, f-ck that, the world's ours**

* * *

><p>Feeling a vibration from her cell phone, Blair reached down into her purse to see that she had received the confirmation that she needed to know that all was going as planned. Returning back to the on going talk of their charity consultant, Meredith, she felt as if she hadn't really even missed school with how much Meredith was talking. Glancing over at her friends, she was glad to see that at least she looked the most alert out of all of them. Chuck hadn't really been one to give someone else his full attention, so she was just glad that Meredith kept his interest for the first minute and would just chalk his constant checking of his Blackberry as him trying to multitask. Serena did her best to stay focuses, but she had heard the spill so many times that she just wished the routine of explaining the process would be pushed to the aside so that she could back to sulky over her failed relationship that had reached its recent end. Nate, Blair just thought he was just physically present but was mostly likely mentally checked out and checking his face book on his phone. Finishing up her speech, Meredith smiled on at the teens as they each let out a soft yawn in an attempt to not be rude before they straightened up in their seats. Realizing that Meredith was completely done talking, they each went into their purses or wallets before putting their checks on top of the desk. Flooded with so much money all at once, Meredith couldn't contain her surprise but knew with them, it was no surprise seeing as their families were amongst the elite families in the Upper Eastside.<p>

"Twenty-five thousand" Meredith smiled as she looked on "You guys are consistent" she smiled happily

"We want to remain loyal to a foundation that we find dear to our hearts" Blair replied

"Well, its commendable coming from teens like yourself to support the fight against teen drinking. I mean we hope to truly start a movement that will raise the legal drinking limit" Meredith said as Chuck laughed to himself

"That's a joke" Chuck said to himself as he shifted in his chair once again

"We're just glad that you guys have managed to become annual donators for the past two years now. Between all of you, we've reached two hundred thousand dollars" Meredith said "I'm just glad to see that you guys have become model teens" she said

"Oh, I'd hardly call ourselves that" Serena commented "Is this all you need from us?" she then asked

"Yes. Let me just go and deposit the money in, and we'll go from there" Meredith said as she got up from her seat to collect the paperwork and the checks "Do you guys want refreshments while you wait?" she asked as she headed over to the door

"No, we're good" Nate said before she headed out of the office

"Could you get any rude?" Blair turned to tell Chuck, who steadily looked on at his blackberry

"I'm here. I fulfilled my requirement, I just want to get this over with because I do have a business to run" Chuck said

"What about school?" Serena asked

"You did hear me say business, right?" Chuck replied finding it crazy that she would think he'd want to get back to school

"I for one look forward to the day when we get to stop forking over money" Nate sighed as he ran his hand through his hair

"And when that day comes, I don't know whether to be happy or scared….as long as we give the money then we live to see another day" Serena replied

"What other choice do we have?" Blair asked "We agreed on this, and this is us going through with what we agreed upon. Two years straight, we should be used to it by now" she said

"If you own your own business than you'd understand that money isn't so frivolous any longer. It's becoming steep to fork over that cash, then suck up to daddy dearest" Chuck said

"What are you talking about? Bart is the last person that would start to miss money" Serena said

"Not with him slicing my business proposals left and right" Chuck said

"Chuck's right, he backed out of a deal with the Captain due to his downsizing" Nate laughed "I'm thinking we'll be more modest in the Hamptons this summer" he said

"The Hamptons" Serena said as the location brought about a smile to her face "Only a few more months and I can get my peace of mind" she sighed

"I'm sure Cici is all ready lining up the events for the summer months" Blair said as she began to pick at her skirt

"Most likely" Serena laughed

"What did Damien tell you?" Nate asked

"Nothing of importance, he was just spouting off at the mouth over what he thought he knew" Blair replied

"Damien is the last person we need to worry about. He was probably in some drug induced coma from the latest street drug that night" Chuck sighed "But I would love to put in a bid for the sex tape…nice work S" he said giving Serena a sleazy smile that made her squirm

"Gross Chuck!" Serena said as she got up from her seat next to him to stand off in the corner

"He's nothing to worry about, with the Ambassador going for re-election, Damien has to be on his best behavior and we all know where he hides his skeletons" Nate said

"Yeah, well I don't take comfort to resorting to blackmail because sooner or later we can't just blackmail our way out of this mess" Serena said

"What mess? As long as we comply then nothing is a mess" Chuck reasoned

"But for how long?" Serena asked "How much do we have to lose before we finally realize that we've…" she said before Chuck cut her off

"I wouldn't let momentary heart ache cause you to screw up your future S. It's sweet, but you'll regret it down the road" Chuck told her

"This from the guy who's big thrill is to play mind games with Jenny Humphrey" Blair said "Excellent job with that" she said sarcastically

"We've all got our past time activities" Chuck laughed to himself

"Do I even want to know?" Serena asked Blair

"It's best you don't, for collateral reasons because I'm almost certain that this will blow up in his face" Blair said as she looked over at Chuck

"A freshmen? Really?" Nate asked him "Those type of games is what lead to this" he said

"Those types, not this one. This one is personal" Chuck said

"Okay, I don't want to know" Serena declared "Chuck, you do you, and hopefully that won't land you a penthouse in hell" she said

"Please, he's practically built a metropolis in hell at this point" Blair commented before Meredith came back in to hand them receipts

"Again, I want to thank you all for your generous donations. They mean so much in our fight against teen drinking" Meredith said as they quickly rose to their feet "If you stick around, we'll be able to get our Public Relations up so that we can get a picture to put in the local papers" she said before they looked at each other nervously

"That's okay. We rather stay silent donators, we don't need the press for this" Blair said

"Are you sure? I mean this is amazing what you guys are doing" Meredith said

"We're sure" Chuck said as he grabbed his coat "I have to get back to Victrola. Nathaniel, are you coming with?" he turned to ask Nate

"Yeah" Nate said before he shook Meredith's hand "Thank you for your time, and we look forward to working with you again" he told her as they left her office leaving her speechless. Closing the door behind Blair, Nate quickly rubbed her back in comfort as they made their way out of the building

"I'm sure Gossip Girl has all ready tagged us together by this point" Serena said as she looked around to see if there was any camera phones pointed at their directions

"I believe the spotlight belongs to Waldorf on that one, the latest is that you're a gagger" Chuck said

"Is that even true?" Nate asked

"Rumors do have a tendency to be fifty fifty. You'll have to choose what side you believe" Blair sighed as Serena looked at her skeptically

"Well, I hope this doesn't get out of hand for you" Nate sighed "Are you still coming to dinner with my parents tomorrow night?" he asked

"Yes" Blair smiled weakly before he leaned in to kiss her cheek

"I'll call you" Nate said just as Chuck's limo pulled up before the two boys wasted no time in getting in.

"You haven't told him?" Serena asked

"No. There was no time to, I mean we broke up and then we recently got back together" Blair said "Have you said anything?" she asked

"It's not my secret to tell" Serena said "I just figured since Dan and Carter know, Nate would at least know" she said

"Believe me, I would love for Baizen not to know…but with Dan there comes Carter" Blair said

"He's your boyfriend, he should know…but that's on you" Serena said as they began to walk down the street arm in arm "Do you think Jenny spilled?" she asked

"No, I did" Blair told her as Serena just laughed to herself

"Something is wrong with you" Serena laughed as she looked at Blair

"How? Its my secret and I chose to tell it" Blair said

"But by spreading flyers throughout the schools, that's a little extreme" Serena said

"I needed to take extreme measures" Blair said "If I'm going to beat Nelly Yuki than I have to pull out all the stops" she said "Katy and Is text to mention that Nelly Yuki has set up an emergency strategy meeting to discuss the latest development. I fully expect some public service announcement to be passed out around school up until the debate" she went on to say

"All of which your prepared for" Serena said

"Nothing Nelly Yuki will do will come as a surprise. Nelly Yuki has met her match, and I intend to destroy her" Blair said

"You really like saying her name, huh?" Serena asked noticing Blair's fascination with Nelly Yuki's name

"Yes, its so addictive. Nelly Yuki. Nelly Yuki. Nelly Yuki. Nelly Yuki" Blair laughed

"Before I forget, thank you so much for your help. I just hope it will work" Serena said to Blair

"I know how much you've been hurting over the break up, so I just wanted to help you out any way possible" Blair smiled as she tugged on to her best friends arm "Did Humpty Humphrey happen to mention why he wanted to end things?" she asked

"He just said that we were two different people, which of course is true….but I just feel like with all the things that I have to hold back from him, we could have never worked out" Serena said

"So if your so convinced that you wouldn't work out, then why are you so down?" Blair asked

"Because Dan was different. There was something about him that made him unique" Serena said

"He was of a lower class bracket, that tends to leave you in marvel by how many items one can choose from the value menu" Blair teased

"Stop, you know what I mean. You even started to be nice to him, that has to count for something" Serena said

"Yes, temporary insanity" Blair smiled "You sure he doesn't fall under the same class as the rest of your flings?" she asked

"Dan does not fall under the same class, that can be seen easily with the latest scandal you've saved me from….I can not say thank you enough B" Serena said

"No, you really can't. Damien Daalgard should get me a shopping spree" Blair said

"Good as done. Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Dior, and Bensimon are on me" Serena declared "I just think that the whole sex tape really got to him, and scared him" she said

"Maybe so. I would assume that he's never had a girlfriend that was so open on film" Blair teased

"Yeah, I know, right" Serena laughed "But I want to at least give it another shot, show him that I'm different from that girl" she said

"And you will, I promise you that. You will finally turn up the heat on Humphrey" Blair smiled

* * *

><p>The earlier plans of success for the boys soccer team had been bleak from the start, but since Dan had joined the team, the team was on the verge of making their first playoff experience. Coach Matthews from time to time rode some of the boys harder because he viewed them as their star players, and would even manage to get other teachers to cut them some slack. Before joining any team, Dan would have found that type of behavior as favoritism but since he was one of the players receiving those benefits then he had nothing to worry about. Finishing up his please do all you can to be Pemberton in the first round talk with the Coach, Dan was more than eager to take his shower and head to work so that he could finish out the rest of his day. Coming out of the office, he quickly spotted Carter sitting out on the chairs. Knowing that Coach probably fed him the best lines to inspire him, Carter just laughed at how predictable things were becoming around here. Heading over towards their lockers, the boys began to get ready to head over towards the shower. Opening up his locker, Dan was still upset to see the flyers that he had grabbed on his way to practice, but seemed to be waning on his anger and just hoped that Blair was dealing with it. Throwing them on to the floor, Carter couldn't help but notice that his anger was at least coming to a minimum now that time had passed.<p>

"You had less force behind that throw. I guess your handling it better" Carter laughed

"She hasn't picked up all day, so I guess she might be okay" Dan said

"And she's suppose to answer your call?" Carter asked

"No, but if there's anyone that she's going to talk about this with, then I think it would be me" Dan said

"You've got high hopes for someone who's being dodged. Remind me, how did Vegas go for you?" Carter asked

"Okay, that didn't exactly go as planned, but I didn't expect some declaration of feelings from her. I simply just wanted to tell her" Dan said

"You told her, and now your just wondering" Carter laughed

"Is it really that bad?" Dan asked "I mean she's busied herself with this whole campaign and then around the penthouse it's just business" he said

"Well how did you tell her?" Carter asked

"We were talking about things with my parents, then we started talking about Nate….that never goes good, I told her she was perfect then said we should be together and I'm breaking up with Serena" Dan told him

"I can clearly see why you've been ignored" Carter laughed "You put it in this whole sappy mode to start out with, you were probably all ready bummed about your parents, then throw Nate into the mix and that's bound to make you hostile" he said

"I don't get it" Dan said

"Maybe she thought you were just caught up in the moment" Carter said

"I broke up with Serena, so I made good on that promise" Dan pointed out

"But that was bound to happen. Hell, I was getting to the point where I was annoyed that you were still with her. That moment was like the big finally you dumbass" Carter said

"Wait, so because I told her in a time where I was sad about my parents, you think she didn't think I meant it?" Dan asked

"Basically. You should just sit her down and just be honest" Carter said

"I was honest, nothing about what I said was a lie" Dan told him "Did you ever stop to think that maybe this isn't as easy for me, I mean why do I have to do all the admitting?" he asked

"Because you're the one who wants to switch up the girls" Carter laughed before Dan hit him with a towel "Look, just come right with her. She's like a deer prancing across the grassy knoll, just trying to feel her way to the next green patch. Hoping that a hunter won't come and shoot her…"he began to explain as Dan looked more confused than ever

"I have no idea what your trying to say" Dan told him

"I'm explaining to you that she's a little timid about your grassy knoll" Carter replied

"My grassy knoll? Wow! The Fuk Me twins have clearly done a number on you" Dan teased as he headed over to the showers with Carter close behind

"Don't bring them into it. We had a great time in Vegas" Carter said

"And are you still trying to call them?" Dan asked

"No…yes" Carter tried to play off "I thought we had something special" he declared

"You got had, that's all that was" Dan told him

"Well, you'd know something about that" Carter said before he quickly took off running, trying to avoid Dan's hit

* * *

><p>Scribbling away on their notepads, the girls didn't want to let the knowledge that was coming at them slip away at any point. Using her stick to point at her pictures that she put in her presentation for her minions, Blair was glad to see that they were doing less talking and more writing this time around. Pacing the floor, she felt like she was a school teacher educating the youth and with the lesson coming to a close, she had hoped that they would just retain what she had just taught them without the stupid questions to follow. Just as she prepared herself for the aftermath of the lesson, she looked over to see the elevator doors open up and out came Dan. She hadn't spoken to him all day about the flyers, but she was sure that was what he would bring up if he had the chance to. Her goal was to avoid any topic that lead to them, but she just hoped that he wouldn't wear her down with his Humphrey ways. Making his way over to help Dorota out with organizing the dinner utensils, she just shook her head at how he seemed to have the entire staff in the palm of his hands, while she could barely manage to get the staff to think she wasn't some demon spawn of Eleanor's. Turning her attention back to her minions, Blair only had a few more minutes to check up on the information that they had gained or still needed to.<p>

"So are we all okay with the plan?" Blair asked

"Who is the Tzu guy again?" Katy asked as Blair just glared at her

"He is the author of The Art of War, but we've all ready discussed that this morning. We are onto phase two now" Blair said

"Yes, but do we still have to read about Tzu guy? I mean his book is super long and I just want to know because then I can hire a nerd to do that for me" One minion said

"How are you hiring someone else to…you know what, do what you need to do to grasp the fact that we've moved on from Sun Tzu" Blair told them as a moment of puzzling silence came between them all

"So we still we read?" Another minion asked

"In some of your cases, I'm surprised you even know how to" Blair told them as they let out a delayed laugh "That wasn't a joke….never mind" she quickly tried to clear up but found it was pointless

"We have a meeting to attend with the snitch at Solka" Isobel said as they quickly rose to their feet

"Is this snitch from the Nelly Yuki camp?" Blair asked

"Yes, apparently she's going to bring in a guest speaker for body awareness seminar's" Isobel said as Blair forced a weak smile

"All in an attempt to make herself look good on the bulimia front….that is smart, I'd do the same" Blair replied

"Are you sure it was the right move to make such an accusation? I mean bulimia and you, I'm not even sure that sounds right" One minion said

"Yeah, I mean is it true?" Katy asked as a moment of silence came over them and all Dan could do was try not to be obvious as he tried to see Blair's reaction

"That depends, do you believe the rumors?" Blair asked "Rumors tend to be split down the line of true or false, so you have to ask yourself what side are you on?" she asked them once again

"I guess that's something we'll have to wait and see about" Katy replied

"Remember what we discussed about the meeting, don't show too much of our hand but show just enough to get him to talk" Blair said

"And if that doesn't work?" Katy asked

"Do what you do best, seduce him" Blair replied as they smiled in pleasure that they got to use the only tactic they knew of before heading over towards the elevators. Blair said her goodbyes to her minions before they left, she was unsure if they could truly help her to a victory but she was glad to have her workers in a time where she wasn't sure how she was truly dealing with so many people knowing about her disorder.

"So at school today, there were some flyers with you plastered all over them…I'm judging by the meeting that you were behind it" Dan said as she walked over towards the kitchen before Dorota quickly went off upstairs thinking the two needed time alone.

"You guess good" Blair replied as she continued on her path up the staircase before Dan grabbed on to her hand. Turning back quickly to look at him, the two froze as the spark between them was apparent to the both of them before Blair quickly pulled her hand away from him

"You do know that the whole school knows now, its all anyone was talking about today. Why would you do that?" Dan asked

"Because I don't want someone else finding out and using it against me. If I revealed first, then I could spin to my advantage and not the other way around" Blair said so casually

"Do you really think someone was going to stoop that low and bring out information like that?" Dan asked

"Not someone, Nelly Yuki. Don't let the shy girl routine fool you, behind that is a little Chinese mafia head" Blair said

"Nelly Yuki, the girl cleans her calculators seven times a day? I find that hard to believe" Dan replied

"Of course you would, your that naïve" Blair said

"I'm not naïve, I just think you put things on a different level than people" Dan said

"Isn't that where my perfection kicks in?" Blair asked as an awkward silence came between them

"Well, its up to you on how you want to handle this. If your brave enough to reveal your disorder, then I guess you know what your doing" Dan told her

"How sweet of you, I get the green light on whether to tell or not to tell on my own problems…I'll be sure to get your opinion on whether to eat after a shower or before a shower" Blair said sarcastically

"What's up with you lately? I mean either your talking shop with me or not talking to me at all" Dan asked

"I'm sorry how does that pertain to your job?" Blair asked

"You know what I'm talking about" Dan sighed "Are we okay? Are you mad at me?" he asked

"Humphrey, I have a campaign to worry about, nothing else is registering to me at the moment" Blair said

"Yeah, a campaign that just came out of nowhere….you never even told me you were interested in running?" Dan asked

"Since when do I have to run things by you? Yes, we talk occasionally, but your not my best friend" Blair said

"No, I'm just the guy you have sex with from time to time" Dan quickly replied as Blair looked fiercely at him "Example. Hey Waldorf, do you want to come down to my dad's bar tomorrow night? I'm going to be helping out and there will be an open mic night, so it should be fun" he said trying to prove a point

"Conclusion. No, I have plans with Nate, my boyfriend" Blair replied "And since when do you play an instrument, what are you? A jack of all trades now?" she asked

"I play piano, if you must know…I don't play it often because I'm a writer, but I play the keys" Dan told her

"Your right, I didn't want to know" Blair quickly stated

"You're a load of crap, you know that" Dan said

"Excuse me?" Blair laughed in disbelief

"You avoid me ever since Vegas, now your trying to play the ice cold bitch, that's a flashback to before. What's your deal? And give me an honest answer?" Dan asked

"Humphrey, you have this thing that's a bit…I don't know, clingy. You mistake sex for some deep and powerful feelings, when all it was, was sex" Blair said

"That's a lie and you know it" Dan laughed

"I'm pretty sure I know when its just about sex" Blair replied "But please feel free to write about our sexual conquests, and when you finally come to the conclusion that it meant nothing to me, then maybe…your tragedy will be worth something" she said

"I ended things with Serena" Dan said

"And I'm sorry about that" Blair quickly replied

"I'm not" Dan said "Sooner or later, once you get beyond the fact that this was more than an affair, you will realize that there is so much more between us then just sex" he said

"Yes, its called employment. Dan, you're a good guy. Probably the only one Serena is willing to take a chance on, but that's all you'll ever be is a good guy. Guys like you don't do the cheating and get with the mistress, you mourn and make some stupid decision in hopes that it will all work out in the end, but eventually you get heart broken. Newsflash, this is that story, all we were was just sex" Blair told him as Dan began to massage his head in frustration

"Waldorf, what do I have to tell you for you to get it?" Dan sighed as he asked

"There is nothing you can tell me! Get over it" Blair said before Dan grabbed on to her hand once more before he pulled her towards him so that they were a mere centimeter away from each other. Not trying to fight his hold on her, Blair looked him in the eyes as he welcomed his advances "Go ahead. Let's sex it up, do it here on the stairs…give a little show or hey! We could even make it to the bed this time…but after all is said and done, you know I'm right" she whispered into his ear as her hands traveled down below his waist

"Don't do this. Don't lie to yourself" Dan told her as he tried to stop her hands

"I'm not lying, I'm finally being truthful with myself. You, Dan Humphrey, were just my release from being the old dependable Blair" Blair told him as she whispered in his ear

"I don't buy that" Dan said as he pinned her up against the wall

"I don't care what you buy" Blair laughed as she tried to pull away from his embrace but found no luck "Because we're over" she told him angrily as she pushed him away

"Yeah, we're over" Dan said running his hand through his hair in frustration "I'm going down to the field, I have to blow off some steam" he told her before he headed over towards the elevator to punch the button to take him down. Clenching her fist tight for a moment after he had left, Blair ran her hand through her hair as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Heading over towards the window, she looked down from the window to see Dan get into a taxi. Pulling her phone out, she quickly dialed a number before putting the phone up to her ear.

"He's on his way" Blair smiled weakly as she spoke just watching the taxi drive off

* * *

><p>Sitting on the floor of her bedroom, Jenny looked out at the window just concentrating on the same old building she had been staring at for the past hour. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for but she felt like if she stared at it long enough then by the time she came back to reality, then hers wouldn't suck so much. Hearing her phone go off on her bed, she didn't bother to get it because she knew that it was probably her mother calling yet again to talk. Her dad hadn't really said much on her mother's behalf, but when he broke the news that they were filing for divorce, all she could remember was everything going deaf around her. Everything was turning to crap, and all she could do was exist amongst the crap that was becoming her life. Dan would check on her, but he'd always say the cliché lines of how things will work out for the best or whatever would make her at least think hope existed. Hope probably existed but she wanted to sulk, she wanted to be mad and upset that they couldn't make it work as a family. She'd envy the Upper Eastside life, but she envied the families that she'd see on television, where they just got along and had good times…that's what she really wanted. A part of her felt so guilty for placing so much want in another area of her life, when she should have been wishing to have a better home life than social life. Hearing the door open from within the living room, Jenny quickly retreated from her spot on the floor to grab nourishment to last another hour in that spot. Joining him in the kitchen, Rufus was a bit to see that she was at home and still looking like she hadn't showered in weeks with that raggedy robe draped on her body.<p>

"What's for dinner?" Jenny asked sadly as she opened the fridge

"Uh, philly cheese dogs" Rufus told her as he unpacked the grocery bags to put in the cupboards "I got this new fetta cheese that I want to try on them, so I'm actually quite glad that you have decided to be my test pig" he smiled

"Did you get any soup?" Jenny asked

"Are you sick?" Rufus asked

"No, I just don't feel like anything at the moment" Jenny replied as he hesitantly handed her the clam chowder soup that he picked up from the deli "Thanks" she said as she grabbed herself a spoon from the drawer and headed into the living room to sit on the sofa to eat her soup

"You know Jen, I know that your taking this divorce pretty hard, but don't you think you should at least leave the house?…" Rufus asked before she cut him off

"Its not a house, it's a loft" Jenny replied "Families live in houses, we live in a loft" she told him

"Okay, that's true. We're still a family though, no matter what" Rufus said as he joined her in the living room

"I know the drill, I saw that episode on Maury. Your going to tell me that you both will love us the same, and that we'll always be a family. Then you'll say how mommy and daddy tried really hard" Jenny told him as he was impressed that she pretty much nailed what he wanted to cover with her

"Okay, you've done good on the television front" Rufus sighed "Dan has a game coming up, I think it would be fun for you to go to the game with some friends….just get out of the hou…loft" he said making sure to correct himself towards the end

"I don't have friends. I lost that before I lost the family" Jenny told her father "But I don't blame Eric or Blair for that matter" she said

"Why? What happened?" Rufus asked

"Eric, he secretly liked me, but I didn't feel the same back. Blair, well lets just say I was willing to hurt her intentionally jus to get ahead" Jenny said "So as you see, I'm not the friend type" she said

"You're the friend type, you just made bad decisions, we've all made bad decisions" Rufus told her

"But I've taken the cake on them" Jenny said

"I'm running out of things to say here Jen. I mean you've got to work your way out of this funk" Rufus said

"I'm not like Dan, I don't have a sport or popular girlfriend, who's friends happen to be the seeds of the elite families in the Upper Eastside" Jenny told him

"I've really got to start picking up a newspaper because I just thought Dan was hanging out with regular people" Rufus said "I mean I know the Blair girl is pretty high maintenance from what he tells me…but I just assume you all were with normal kids" he said

"You assumed wrong, we go to school with trust fund kids" Jenny said as she put her soup down on the coffee table "I know something we can talk about" she then suggested as he happily perked up

"All right, hit me with your best shot" Rufus smiled

"Did you know mom was cheating with a married man? Or at least that was the first guy" Jenny asked him

"Jen" Rufus sighed

"I mean did you have to find out through snooping or did she just tell you that I'm cheating on you, but lets make it work?" Jenny asked

"I really don't want to talk about this" Rufus sighed

"Why not? I clearly see that mom has single handedly screwed everything up. I get why Dan was all team Rufus all along" Jenny said

"He was not team Rufus, what is that anyways?" Rufus said in disbelief by her language

"He was. He was the only one that didn't see past mom's constant lies of being stronger as a family. The whole artistic journey was just her running off with another man basically…you can pretty much say that mom is a whore" Jenny babbled

"That's enough!" Rufus said angrily

"No, its not enough dad. It will never be enough because as you can see, I'm confused on everything. I'm confused on whether to love her or hate her because although she is my mother, I hate that she can't see what she's done. She's not even woman enough to fess up and talk to her kids face to face…so it won't be enough until she decides to fix what she has broken!" Jenny yelled angrily

"It is enough because believe it or not, we will make it through this" Rufus said as Jenny laughed to herself

"Oh, your beyond delusional" Jenny laughed "We've been stuck in the same rut for the past two years! We just talk around the issues rather than admit that we're screwed up. We do the usual routine of Dan going on about some book that he's hung up on, and how it relates to the saga of his personal life. Then we joke about your attempts of being a relevant musician, but commend you on your culinary talents. Then I talk aimlessly about Blair Waldorf and her friends, while Dan rolls his eyes hoping that I will embrace my originality. You of course come in and say something old and true to the moment about me being fine the way I am. I look at you like your delusional, and then Dan and I make fun of you. That's the routine, that's all we do but in that whole scenario, where do we talk about the fact that our mother is with another man that is not her husband?" she replied

"Those are just questions you have to ask your mother. I'm not going to bad mouth your mother because its not my place" Rufus said as he leaned back in his chair before Jenny quickly got up from her chair and walked over to the computer to grab the papers that were sitting on top of the printer

"You know the funny thing that I remembered today?" Jenny asked as she just held the papers in her hand "Mom is a total ditz when it comes to technology. She can't work technology to save her life, I do remember Dan and I telling her laugh….that was a good family laugh. She'd go to work and always gripe about how she hated the electronic stuff, but she had to set up a electronic mail. I laughed at her because the simple term for it was e-mail" she told him as tears came down her "So she used to have me set up her e-mail accounts because she had to have an e-mail address for work. I even wrote them down on sticky notes so that she could remember, wherever she went. Who'd ever thought that would come in handy someday" she said before she handed her father the papers "I went into mom's e-mail and read her messages. That's how I know she cheated with a married man. His name was Joseph at BI dot com" she went on to tell her father as he looked through the papers

"Jen.." Rufus said before she cut him off

"Please, spare me the whole protection of my feelings because reading my mothers words to another man is painful enough….I don't need you patronizing me on top of it" Jenny replied

* * *

><p><strong>Aye girl yeah you da business<strong>

**So what the business?**

**Don't be shyI'm just talkin' to you girl**

**Aye ma, yo where yo man at?**

**I know you got that**

**Cause you too fine to be single out here girl**

**Yo buddy done f-cked up**

**I'll swoop this girl upand what I'm bout to do**

**He'll feel I did him wrong**

**Cause I'm bout go have a ménage**

**With this lady and some freaks at the bar**

**who like f-ckin' with a star**

**I told her**

After a long work out on the field, Dan made his way down the tunnel as he swiftly relieved himself of his shirt. Wiping the sweat off of his upper body with his shirt and the back of his neck, Dan could feel his muscles become sore by the minute that he hoped that he had enough energy to make it to the bus. In the mornings, he had worked up a sweat, but when he was a lone during the night on the field, he was able to really zone in on the things that he needed to work on. Playing soccer was probably the best thing to happen to him because he felt like he had a source to channel his anger other than his writing. After the season was over he'd have enough stories to incorporate in the stories that had yet to be written, but he hoped that since he had expanded his horizon. Opening the door to the locker room, he quickly flicked on the lights before he headed over to his locker. Tossing his shirt over his shoulder as he turned the corner and into his locker row, he was quickly caught off guard to see Serena standing in rain coat with heels on. Rubbing his eyes to make sure that he wasn't just dreaming her, Dan laughed to himself as he just couldn't believe that Serena was even here. Looking as if she had been thinking for quite some time, Serena slowly rose to her feet to face him.

"Serena, what are you doing here?" Dan asked

"I know that we broke up and everything, but I…I had to come see you" Serena said looking like a lost little girl

"Why? Is everything okay?" Dan asked her as she walked up towards him

"I miss you, and I've realized that I can't just…I can't just end things like this" Serena said as she was only a few inches away

"Serena" Dan said softly as she leaned in towards him "I don't think this is a good idea" he told her so softly that only she could have heard them before she slowly turned her back towards him

"I know" Serena said as she turned back to look at him over her shoulder in a seductive manner before she finally undid her coat to reveal her naked body

**If you f-ckin' with meReally f-ckin' with me**

**You go get some girls and**

**Bring em to meIf you f-ckin' with me**

**Really fu-ckin' with me**

**You'll let her put her hands in your pants**

**Be my little freak**

**Be my little freak**

**Be my little freak**

**Let her put her hands in your pants**

**Be my little freak**

**If you f-ckin' with me**

**Really f-ckin' with me**

**Let her put her hands in your pants**

**Be my little freak**

Sitting at the dining table, Blair looked down at her food and only found that she took a couple of bites. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat, but she found herself worried about other things to just sit and eat so casually. Getting up from her seat at the table, Blair grabbed her plate and took it into the kitchen to put in the sink. Heading over towards the bar, she kneeled down to find her choice drink before she took a moment to think over what she was intending to do. Realizing that it was the only way to get through the night, she grabbed her bottle of Bacardi before she closed the cabinet so that it at least didn't look like anything was missing. Making her way up the stairs, she let out a sigh as the day was slowly starting to take its toll on her. Running her hands through her hair as she rest the top stair, she headed towards her room. Closing the door behind her once she entered her room, she went over to grab a crystal glass from her top drawer by her bed. It wasn't like her to drink, but she still held some habits that she had picked up when she was younger. Sitting at the foot of the bed, she opened the bottle before pouring herself a drink then sat the bottle off to the side. She'd make a mental note to put it back before her mother woke, but she didn't fear that her mother would pick up on the fact that it was missing. Her mother had put in complete effort to be better with her, but she still had some ways to go. Grabbing her lap top, she quickly logged onto program site that the audio visual nerd had instructed her to do so in order to access the video feed into the locker room. Picking up her target instantly, Blair placed her lap top on the bed before she laid back up against her head board with her drink firmly in her hand. It was becoming like her late night show, in which she chose her choice pleasure.

"S, you waste no time" Blair replied as she looked on at the image of her friends naked body and Dan, who seemed to be impressed by what he was looking at "Now lets see if he bites" she said before took a sip of her drink before resting her head up against the headboard so that she could watch the show.

**Aye girl, I see you like that**

**You gettin' excited**

**And you rockin' like a pro wit it girl**

**By the way, you got right on it**

**With the chick you wanted**

**And now you in the corner kissin' on a girl**

**I-I I'm bout to have a ménage with these here ladies**

**Lookin' little freaks at the bar**

**Lookin for a star**

Stuttering. Mumbling. Babbling. All he could try to do was try to search for words in this moment as it had only been in his dreams that he'd see Serena's naked body. It was certainly a sight to see as it looked like the type of bodies that he had seen in Playboy. Every ounce of her body was toned and perfection at its finest that he found resisting the hardest thing to accomplish. She made pleas of forgiveness as she nibbled on his ear in her efforts to keep her naked body up against his to remind him of what it would be like to take her at any point. Whispering into his ear all the things that wouldn't be necessary to repeat to just any average person, Dan felt his knees begin to tremble. Doing his best to keep his mind clear from the possible activities her could do to her, he did all he could to not even listen to her, but feeling her breasts pressed up against his all ready bare chest did little to help his wishes to leave unscathed. Outlining the frame of his chest, she quickly turned his head towards her and as he began to say something that would most likely be an objection to what she had in mind for them, she put her finger up to his mouth. Grabbing his hand, she picked out a choice finger before inserting it into her mouth in a seductive manner. Slowly removing his finger from her mouth, he stared at her mouth for a lingering moment before she quickly captured his lips. Pinning him up against the locker, she deepened the kiss.

**If you f-ckin' with me**

**Really fu-ckin' with me**

**You go get some girls and**

**Bring em to me**

**If you f-ckin' with me**

**Really fu-ckin' with me**

Looking on intently at this point, she was too shocked and somewhat satisfied that she was seeing what he really was about. Serena was the ultimate temptress, and if he couldn't manage to resist her then she was sure that a relationship with him would be pointless, when it came to Serena. She hadn't quite entertained the idea of having feelings for him, but if she were to, she needed to know just what type of guy he really was. She hated to subject him to this, but trust for her was the hardest to just give over completely. Wiping the rim of her glass with her single tear drop as she looked on at the show, she'd think back to moments when they were together and just found herself comparing their lust to of that she was witnessing on her screen. Slowly bringing the glass up to her lips, she saw her hands run wild in his hair as he attacked the nape of her neck…like he had done many times with her. Taking a long and lingering drink so that she was numb to what she was seeing, Blair finally finished off her glass before she had reached her limit. Turning the lap top off before getting out her bed, she took a moment to pace the floor. Quickly turning around, she threw her glass at the wall in a fit of anger as she watched it shatter to the floor. Tears streamed down her face, and although she had done all she could to stop, she couldn't stop herself from the waterworks.

**You'll let her put her hands in your pants**

**Be my little freak**

**Be my little freak**

**Be my little freak**

**Let her put her hands in your pants**

**Be my little freak**

**If you f-ckin' with me**

**Really f-ckin' with me**

**Let her put her hands in your pants**

**Be my little freak**

Placing his forehead up against the locker to grab a few moments to think, Serena ran her hands wildly through his hair. He knew that if anyone were to walk in at this point that it would look worse than what it really was. Given this opportunity years ago, he probably would have jumped at the chance to sleep with Serena van der Woodsen, but he couldn't let her do this to herself, he couldn't do this to her. Doing all she could to evoke some sort of animalistic desire in him, Serena was slowly beginning to realize that he wasn't falling for it any longer. Stopping her attempts, she rested her head up against the locker as he remained pinned in between her arms. Unable to act like she didn't matter to him, he guided her head towards his shoulder so that she could feel his genuine feelings towards her. For a moment she accepted his gesture, but in a swift motion she grabbed at her coat to put back over her body while all he could do was look on at her. Unsure as to what he should say, Dan just looked at her hoping that she would understand that he had nothing against her, but just didn't want to do anything that would give her the wrong idea on where he stood when it came to them. Taking a seat on the bench, Serena hunched over and covered her face with her hands as she felt like a complete idiot for throwing herself at him.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Dan asked

"No Dan, I don't want you walk me home!" Serena snapped at him before a moment of silence came between them "Why? What's wrong?" she asked

"We just…we don't fit" Dan told her "I'm either worried that you have some unspoken bond with Nate or just frustrated that you don't get me" he said

"So this is my fault!" Serena asked in disbelief

"No, this is no one's fault. We just didn't work" Dan said "There is nothing wrong with us not working, we're just probably better suited for other people" he said

"Is there someone else?" Serena asked as Dan took a moment to think of how he should answer this

"No. There's no one else" Dan told her, choosing to leave his feelings for Blair to himself "You're a beautiful girl, and I like you as just Serena, not Serena van der Woodsen" he said before she interrupted

"Which is why I like you too" Serena quickly interjected "You're the only guy that likes me for just me" she said

"I know, but we need more than that to go off of" Dan said

"We just end like this? Like…we never happened?" Serena asked

"No, we end as friends. I want to still be your friend" Dan told her

"But nothing else?" Serena asked as tears welled up in her eyes

"Nothing else" Dan told her

* * *

><p>Laying in her bed listening to her ipod, Jenny used skipped to the next track then on to the next just trying to find some music that would fit her mood. Giving up hope that she would find the right song to fit this depressing mode she was in, she quickly took the ear buds out of her ear and put her ipod off to the side of her bed. Quickly sitting up in her bed, she thought to herself on what she would be doing in this moment if she was actually talking to Eric or if she was still a part of Blair's group. The list became so endless that just naming the things she would be doing was making her feel worse by just thinking about it. Hearing a knock come from the door in the living room, Jenny reluctantly got up from her bed and headed over to answer the door. Trying to think of who it could possibly be because most of the people that knew them, knew that she was dealing with something. Opening the door to see Chuck in his usual custom made suit, Jenny was a bit surprised to see him standing there.<p>

"Chuck" Jenny said surprised

"Can I come in?" Chuck asked her

"Yes, come in" Jenny said as she widened the door for him to enter

"You'd been gone for the past two weeks and I just thought I should stop in to see how you were doing" Chuck told her as he accessed if it was within his best interest to sit on the sofa due to his suit

"Yeah, I've been taking personal days off. You can take a seat" Jenny told him

"It's okay, I've been sitting all day long in the office and I'd prefer to stand" Chuck told her "What's been going on?" he asked "Usually personal means…personal" he said

"That's because it was personal or still is" Jenny told him as she flopped down on the sofa

"Care to share the details?" Chuck asked

"My parents are getting a divorce" Jenny told him

"Oh" Chuck replied finding a divorce in the family the last thing that required a personal day. In the Upper Eastside a divorce was just an opportunity to trade up for better in his eyes

"I'm aware of what divorce means in the Upper Eastside, but in Brooklyn, divorce means a broken family" Jenny said

"Good, then you'll understand if I lack sympathy" Chuck replied "Why are you sad?" he asked

"Because they are my parents" Jenny said

"So them getting divorce makes you sad, and depressed. I thought your mother was a whore?" Chuck asked

"So glad that you've come to cheer me up" Jenny said sarcastically told him "Shouldn't you be at Victrola? Looking at new talent" she asked

"I had to step out for a breather, the accountant is talking about cut backs and that was always Joel's thing" Chuck said

"And then you fired him of course" Jenny said

"I didn't fire him, there had to be cutbacks and he was let go. That was my father's deal, not mine" Chuck replied

"Okay, okay. I don't care to know the business of Victrola because I'm not in the mode to give advice" Jenny said as she laid back on the sofa

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked sternly as if he was unsure on how he should care properly

"I'm depressed" Jenny said "I have no friends. Eric left me because I didn't reciprocate his feelings…or at least I wasn't sure. Blair, I basically did the dumbest thing when it came to her by even thinking I could over throw her. Hell, my own brother and I don't have the same relationship like we used to" she pouted

"Don't you think your forgetting somebody?" Chuck asked

"Like who? That was the few friends that I had" Jenny replied as Chuck got up from his seat to sit on the small space beside her "Are you talking about your limo driver?" she asked before he leaned down to kiss her. Caught off guard by the kiss, Jenny was unsure on if this was even happening but in some odd way she enjoyed it as he deepened the kiss.

"You've got me, but yet you always forget that fact" Chuck said after he broke the kiss then rose to his feet and walked over towards the door just leaving her speechless "Mourn for a little bit, but you have to get past the parental drama. Never rely on your parents to provide stable happiness. See you around" he said before he left the loft as all she could do was put her hand up to her lips to make sure that the kiss was real

* * *

><p>After a days worth of talking about Blair, many of her peers were eager to have the rumors answered at the debate. It had become the most talked about event in a matter of hours since the infamous flyer reveal, the school faculty had been torn on whether to handle the rumors or just be happy that the auditorium for the first time in years had finally reached full capacity with a line still forming outside. The scandal of Blair Waldorf had been a hit, and everyone was eager to see the final nail in the coffin of the Queen Bee herself. Only few had seen her reaction to the fact that her secret was all over the schools, but all people could do at this point was specialization. Taking her place at the podium on the stage, she'd be lying if she didn't say that she was nervous but she knew that in the end that she would have to see this through. Looking over at her opponent, Nelly Yuki stood proudly as if she were practicing taking her picture in the school newspaper that had the headline of her winning the election along with her immediate changes that she plan to exact on the school. Giving off a slight laugh to herself, Blair knew that she had to crush Nelly Yuki, if not for the fact that she stood between Yale and her, but because she wanted wipe that stupid smirk off her face. The moderator took to the middle podium, and quickly began the much anticipated event. For the first thirty minutes, many of the kids had become bored with the questioning that they contemplated leaving. Noticing that she was losing the crowd, Blair snuck off a quick text to Katy and Isobel to get things rolling so that she could keep the audience and give them what they wanted. Raising her hand in the middle of Nelly Yuki's speech, the moderator looked over at Blair.<p>

"I believe she has a question" Blair told the moderator

"I was talking though" Nelly Yuki quickly replied

"And thankfully we're saved" Blair replied "I think we should honor the people, the voters. They're the ones with the hard pressed questions that will eventually reveal who is the better candidate" she went on to plead

"Blair does have a point. You may say your question" The moderator turned to tell Katy as she made her way up to the microphone

"Hi Blair" Katy waved to her friend before Blair scolded her quietly so that she would stop

"Stop waving to her in her presidential mode" Isobel told Katy

"Oh, yeah, right" Katy said remembering how she was supposed to act in this moment "I just wanted to know if your really a gagger?" she asked as Blair looked at her confused

"A gagger?" Blair asked

"I believe the correct term is bulimic, and I think that is an excellent question. I mean it is no secret that my campaign has focus on body health and mental health awareness" Nelly Yuki said

"Yes, all ideas that you came up with on such short notice" Blair replied as she looked over at her opponent

"Care to answer the question?" Nelly Yuki asked "I'm sure everyone is dying to know" she said insisting that she answer the question. People who were once bored out of their minds quickly propped up in their seats to hear this response. Coming in at the back of the auditorium, Dan stood off in the back as he looked on to see a tensed up Blair stand at her podium. He could quickly see that the million dollar question had been posed to her. "Answer the question Waldorf, the voters want to know just what type of candidate they have in you" she said

"Ms. Waldorf, do you care to answer the question?" The moderator asked

"Yes, I can answer the question" Blair replied before a moment of silence came in the auditorium. Wanting so badly to rescue her from this moment, he knew that she had to do this for herself. Clenching his fist tight, Dan did all he could to just watch this moment unfold and hope for the best.

"It's clear to see that she is unwilling to handle the hard parts of…" Nelly Yuki began to say before Blair cut her off

"Yes" Blair answered

"Yes, to what?" Nelly Yuki asked

"I'm bulimic or I was…its kind of confusing, but I'm not anymore" Blair said as the room erupted with whispers

"Calm down. Calm down" The moderator said as Blair stepped back from the podium to collect herself as she felt her heart race speed up. Tearing away from his spot in the box, Dan headed down the aisle but stopped dead in place once he saw her come back up to the microphone. Stepping off to the side, he leaned up against the railing of the steps just fighting the urge to stop the questioning

"I'm pretty sure that its big news that I, Blair Waldorf, am a gagger as you guys call it. The flyers were a nice touch on my opponents behalf" Blair said as she looked over at Nelly Yuki

"I would like to inform everyone that I had no part in the flyers" Nelly Yuki quickly denied

"Just like a politician to lie" Blair interrupted her "But I have chosen to take the honest route in this because I don't want to start off my term as class president on lies, so if you want truth then I will give it to you straight" she said before she gripped on to the sides of the podium "I can't get into the history of it all, but I think I can speak for every girl in here, when I say that it is hard to be a girl in the Upper Eastside, hell its hard to be a girl in general. So much of our days consist of having the right clothes, the right accessories, the right boyfriend, the right shoes, the right amount of money on our debit cards for the impromptu lunches, but most importantly to just be as close to perfect as possible. We never once take into account that we might not be able to fit into the right clothes, have the right body to pull off that accessory, be enough to keep the boyfriend, have the legs to pull of the perfect size Chanel's, and have enough money to buy the products that will make you that image you want to be. Well, I can tell you now that perfection….can't be reached, no matter how hard we try. My father once told me that perfection didn't exist, and it took me a while to figure that out but I finally have. It's not to say that I don't want things to be right, but its accepting that there will always be flaws in something, but those flaws can make something unique and interesting or even memorable" she said as people began to truly take in what she was saying "So much of who we are is based on that image that we see in the media or just off of the people we see on a daily basis that we in return try to project on ourselves. If I wasn't so dependent on my social network, then I'd have half the mind to say that media in general with their body image propaganda should be band all together, but I won't get that extreme. When your young your supposed to get those lessons where you realize that your special, you point out something unique about yourself….I missed that. I was too busy taking etiquette class" Blair said as she laughed to herself, which caused the audience to laugh with her "Expectations from our parents and expectations from ourselves, it's hard to live up to and we're fools to think that we can. It's taken me years to realize that I'm fine just the way I am, and the want for perfection can be handed off to the next person because its just not for me. I think some of you might be glad that I'm flawed or have the biggest flaw of all, and I have to say that I'm glad you know because maybe that will show you guys that I'm not better than anyone. I'm just like each and everyone of you, with a little bit of extreme emotions from time to time, but I'm just like every person in this auditorium that wants their years in Constance to be memorable and something they can look back on and say I miss those days." she told them all "Having an eating disorder doesn't just pertain to the rich, it can happen to any one of us. I praise Nelly Yuki for informing everyone about the importance of cherishing your mind and body because it is essential, its something we forget about when we're just dashing through the day anxious to get to the weekend. I'm bulimic, but it is not who I am nor does it define what I want people to know me as. I'm Blair Waldorf, I'm a girl that likes the classics, loves all things French…even the fries, can be headstrong when it comes to fashion, and a girl that wants to be class president. So I hope when you leave here today or go on Gossip Girl to see what your friends commented about me, just know that I'm more than an eating disorder…I'm a person, who has made mistakes and taken for granted that there is no set term for beautiful because frankly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder…and I know I am damn beautiful" she said before a round applause came about in the auditorium before it turned into a standing ovation. A smile came to his face as he saw the true progression of a girl that was once dealing with her inner demons conquer them and slay them. Looking on at her friends with the biggest of smiles, knowing that she had put the final nail in Nelly Yuki's coffin of hopes to be class president. Beaming at all of those that chanted her name, her eyes quickly connected with his. She should have been upset and furious for his betrayal, but it just felt like everything came full circle for her, like he was supposed to be here for this moment. The moment in which she showed that she was able to conquer her demons. Giving her a nod of approval, Dan slowly made his way out of the auditorium while all she could do was watch him leave.

* * *

><p>It wasn't really much of a surprise to her that Nelly Yuki had come to the realization that it'd be a long shot for her to win after today's debates, so in an unofficial way, Blair had won student class president. Although she had won the prize she sought to claim, she felt like it didn't satisfy her competitive juices or just satisfy her as a whole. In some ways she felt like she robbed Nelly Yuki of the things that she wanted to accomplish with the school, that she did find intriguing and very doable. She'd make a mental note to give Nelly Yuki an invite to join her and the girls of the steps as a consultant, she'd need to remain in control of the social aspects, but she figured that it would add diversity to her group to add Nelly Yuki as a school liaison. On the drive home, she seemed more like the loser than the winner, and although she wanted to enjoy the moment, there was just a part of her that felt so sad inside of her. Once the car pulled up in front of her building, she gave a quick thanks to Henry before making her way upstairs. The sooner she could get into a hot shower and a pair of her silk pajamas, the sooner she could just let the day go and move on to the next one. Leaning up against the rails in the elevator, she was glad that the ride hadn't been to long on the way up to the penthouse. Stepping off the elevator, she made her way down the hall in a sluggish manner that she hoped Dorota wouldn't ask her twenty questions about. Seeing the flicker of light in the darkened halls, Blair looked up to see Dorota and Eleanor gathered around a lit up cake with smiles plastered on their faces. Taking in the balloons and the congratulation banner that they had hanging behind them, she didn't know whether to smile or feel like this was some dream. Still in disbelief of the moment, Blair walked up with utter shock on her face before Dan came out with a bucket of ice. Stopping dead in her tracks as she looked on at how casual he could be in her home, Blair was still in shock of it all to give him a verbal thrashing just yet.<p>

"We heard you had a gave a great speech today, and have pretty much sealed up victory" Eleanor smiled excitedly

"So we decided to throw you a party" Dorota said as she clapped happily for the young girl

"Mom, you're here…for cake and a party, did something happen at work?" Blair asked

"I guess my presence at something like this is troubling in some sense" Eleanor said as she thought to herself "But Dan sneaked and arranged my schedule so that I could be here for this, and I have to say that I'm glad that I'm here for this" she said as she walked over towards Blair to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek "I heard you were a true lady of grace and honor today, and that makes me proud" she told Blair as the two pressed their foreheads up against each other in a silent moment of appreciation for the other. Standing off in the back round, Dan couldn't help but feel happy for both Eleanor and Blair as they finally started to realize the importance of their relationship.

"You mean that?" Blair asked her

"Yes, I mean that. I mean what I say" Eleanor quickly replied with tears welled up in her eyes that she was trying her hardest to hide

"You do know they asked about my eating disorder, right?" Blair asked

"I was made aware of that, and the way you handled it….you were the better woman today" Eleanor smiled

"Not without a little help of course….I had to kind of steer things in my direction" Blair reluctantly revealed to her mother "Does that make it less of a win?" she asked

"No, it doesn't make it less of a win. It just makes you smart and good at strategy…that my darling is something you get from your mother" Eleanor said proudly

"Oh, really? So what did I get from daddy?" Blair asked with a bit of laughter

"You got his looks" Eleanor replied

"I can settle for that" Blair laughed as the two walked back over to the table where Dorota and Dan were. Nervously looking over at Dan, Blair did all she could to not let him get to her but it was apparent that something was going on between them.

"I think we forgot something" Dorota declared

"Like what?" Eleanor asked "We have cake. We have a banner that required more muscles in my body than I intended. We have balloons, what more do we need?" she asked

"Drinks" Dorota said taking a moment to think and survey what was lacking

"Dorota, do we really need the apple cider? I mean its just cake for crying out loud" Eleanor complained

"Yes, Ms. Blair likes Martenelli with her cake" Dorota said "Come Ms. Eleanor, we have to go get it while they get the food together" she said grabbing on to Eleanor's hand

"Okay, okay, okay" Eleanor agreed "Kids, we'll be right back with the damn Martenelli" she said taking a quick swipe at the frosting before Dorota tugged on her to follow "Ouch!" she complained before the two went off into the kitchen.

"So you did this?" Blair asked after a moment of silence came between them

"Yeah, it was really nothing. I mean I just switched two of your mom's meeting around after school. She went in early and knocked it out the park, so she would've been done early regardless" Dan told her

"Meetings for my mother last as long as the movie Titanic, so it was very big that you got her to change time and finish early" Blair said "You've finally gotten the hang of your role around her" she went on to say

"I know my place, that's for sure" Dan replied sadly before he walked past the table "I actually should get home and get ready for tonight, I just wanted to help your mom and Dorota out with the decorations and the cake. it's the Giaverte cake that you like, and its butter crème so its expensive like you like" he told her as he grabbed his coat

"You sure you not leaving for other reasons?" Blair questioned him

"What's that suppose to mean?" Dan asked

"You know what it means. How was your night last night Humphrey? You left here upset so I'm just curious to know if your mood changed after our little sparring session" Blair asked

"You mean the session, in which you basically say I meant nothing to you?" Dan asked

"If that's what helps you remember" Blair replied

"Oh, I was great. I just went and skipped around the park. Then later that night, I got ice cream to lament our your failed attempt at being honest with yourself" Dan said sarcastically

"Honesty? Lets see who's not being honest after this" Blair laughed in disbelief that he had the nerve to use that word as she knew exactly what he was up to last night doing "Seeing as you have yet to admit what you've done, I think honesty should be taken out of your vocabulary" she told him

"Fine, you want honesty? I seem to be the only one who is honest between us…" Dan said before she interrupted

"And yet you keep using that word" Blair replied

"I went to kick a few balls around at the field, when I went back into the locker room, Serena was there waiting for me. She seduced me and wanted to have sex" Dan revealed as Blair just stared at him angrily "But then again, you'd know about that seeing as you set me up" he said before her eyes nearly widened hearing the last bit

"What?" Blair asked

"You set me up with Serena" Dan told her "You were behind her sudden appearance" he then said

"How do you know?" Blair asked surprised that he figured her out

"You're the only one that knows I go out to the field that late, and I told you where I would be. So less in case Serena is truly trying to be a better girlfriend, then this has you written all over it" Dan told her "So tell me, did I pass your test?" he then asked her

"I saw you two…you clearly didn't pass" Blair replied

"Let me guess, you were either in the locker room or you did some perverse thing and got access to the camera's, which one was it?" Dan asked as Blair couldn't believe how well he knew her

"I got access to the camera's, but that's not the point. The point is that you clearly didn't turn her down" Blair said "You had sex with her!" she declared

"Did you watch the whole thing?" Dan asked

"No, what type of perv do you take me for? I turned it off once it turned rated R, which I'd expect from Serena, but you?….yeah, I don't buy that crap you said the other day or in Vegas" Blair scoffed at the notion of watching them having sex

"Then you'd know that I didn't have sex with her. She kissed me, but I didn't kiss back. She pinned me up against the locker, but I had my forehead pressed up against the locker…so it probably looked like I was into it, but I had my head up against the locker hoping that she would get the point that we were over" Dan said

"So you didn't have sex with Serena? Why do I find that hard to believe?" Blair laughed as she asked him

"Because it's the truth, and your not familiar with that quite yet" Dan replied

"Okay, lets say that I believe that you didn't have sex with her. Serena will always be a factor between us, I mean you practically drooled over her your whole life" Blair said

"First of all, it was since that fifth grade birthday party, so that doesn't meet the span of my whole life. Second, the only person that let Serena be a factor in your relationship was Nate….and I'm not him" Dan said

"Oh, spare me the whole Nate rant. I know how you feel about him…" Blair said before he interrupted

"Then you'd know that I'd never try to emulate a guy that hurt you. So the games, the whole set up…it wasn't necessary because if you wanted to know it then you should have asked me" Dan said

"Well actions speak louder than words" Blair replied

"And my actions once again proved that I'm still about you" Dan told her as he stared at her "You know today, you were beautiful up there. You had this essence about you that made you so regal and graceful under pressure. You've come a long way from that girl I first met, and I think that's why I was proud of you, that was why I couldn't take my eyes off of you today even though I was so pissed at you for setting me up. I get that you have your issues with Serena and still have the insecurities, but I think a long the way you got so used to people looking past you towards her, and eventually you started to look at her along with them. Your so fixated on what she has that you don't have, that you don't even see the one person that's looking at you the way they look at her. I dumped her for you, I have these feelings when it comes to you that I can't get rid of, I've tried but they won't go away" he told her as she couldn't help but have tears well up in her eyes

"Why should I believe you?" Blair asked

"Because its me" Dan told her and although it was a simple answer, it seemed to make Blair realize that the words he was saying were real as they just looked at each other. Torn away from her gaze upon him by the ringing of her cell phone, Blair looked down at her phone to see that it was Nate calling her. Leaning forward to look at the caller identification, Dan laughed to himself as it just seemed like Vegas was a lifetime ago for them and that the real world was starting to set in for the both of them

"Hello" Blair answered

"Are you coming?" Nate asked her as a moment of silence came between them

"Yes, I'm…I'll be there in an hour" Blair replied hesitantly as she didn't want to hurt Dan

"Okay, we'll wait for you" Nate said before she hung up

"I have to go" Blair said softly

"Of course you do" Dan smiled before he motioned to leave but had stopped in his tracks to turn back around "Have fun tonight" he told her before he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Looking over at him, Blair was lost for words as all she could do was grab on to his hand. Turning to look her dead in the eyes, he did all he could to read her eyes but only found a haze of confusion within them "I have to go" he finally said before breaking free of her embrace.

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the mirror, she finished up brushing her hair before her clean up was complete. Finally realizing that she needed to at least take a shower and get out of her pajamas, Jenny took to making herself over. Though her feelings still remained the same, she at least wanted to make some progress of getting back to her normal self. In the back of her mind she kept replaying the kiss with Chuck, she knew that he wanted them to sleep together but she never thought he was the type of guy that could just kiss a girl and have it not lead to anything more. A part of her felt bad that she had counted him out, when in fact he was the only one that could vent to through all of this. He had been the only one to warn her about not going through with her plan with Blair, although she didn't listen, she still knew that he was the one to tell her right from wrong. All he had ever been known as was a playboy, but she hoped that the rumors were wrong about the great Chuck Bass. She had to admit that he wasn't as caring and attentive like most guys, but she appreciated his brutal honesty. There was a part of her that did miss Eric, and the way they used to be but she knew that she messed up her friendship with him by not being sensitive to his feelings. Hearing her dad come into the loft, Jenny made her way out of the restroom. Seeing her father shuffle around the loft in search of something, he quickly came to a stop once he saw her standing there. Pleased that she was at least in fresh clothing, Rufus let out a smile towards his daughter before she ran up to him to give him a hug. Surprised by the action, Rufus stood confused for a moment before finally wrapping his arms around her.<p>

"What did I do to deserve this?" Rufus asked

"Can't I just hug you" Jenny replied as she tighten up her grip on her father

"Uh, lately…no. Use to though" Rufus replied

"I love you dad" Jenny muttered as it brought a smile to his face

"I love you to Jen. I love you too" Rufus smiled

* * *

><p>Smoke filled the bar as Dan went around collecting the bottles that were left behind on the tables. It had been a packed night, so moving quickly was key to making it through the night for Dan as he did his best to work and listen to the person up on the stage. Sitting back at the bar, cheering on the talent, Carter soaked in the vibe of the bar with his 1950's hat on. Bringing the tray of over to the trash can, Dan filled the can up with all the beer bottles before he walked over to join Carter at the counter. With his dad being a well known presence at the bar, Dan didn't even try getting Carter a beer in fear that his dad would find out. It was a PG night for them, but it wasn't like they needed to have the alcohol to hang out with each other. Though he was glad to just be out of the loft and out of the penthouse, Dan couldn't help but think about Blair. She was the most frustrating person he had known in his life, but he couldn't shake the fact that he worried about her or wanted her. He knew that there was a part of her that was still confused about her feelings for him or was unable to admit to them, but he didn't want to pressure her into anything, but all he wanted was for her to get that his feelings were real, and if she accepted it then she'd see that hers were too. Caught up in his thoughts, he failed to see that all the attention had been turned to him.<p>

"Uh, what's going on?" Dan asked in confusion as he looked over

"C'mon Danny, you have to be fill in Rufus tonight" The host said

"You play?" Carter turned to ask him

"No, I…I don't. Move on to the next person" Dan told the host

"No, you should play. I want to see this" Carter said as he got up from his seat so that he could rile up the crowd

"What are you doing?" Dan asked as he tugged on his shirt

"Trying to get you play" Carter said as he continued on while chants rang out on the bar that made it harder for Dan to get out of it

"I really, I really can't" Dan said trying to get out of it unharmed

"Just play…do your little talent, its open mic night" Carter told him

"C'mon Danny, I know you can hit the keys pretty good" The host said as Dan reluctantly got up from his seat "There we go!" the host happily declared as they all began to clap for Dan as he headed up to the stage. Taking a seat at the piano, Dan looked out nervously at the crowd. Doing all he could to think back on the numerous times where he just fooled around with playing on the piano with his dad, Dan had never really played in front of an audience but just with his dad for fun. Adjusting the mic to his liking, he took a few deep breaths as he put his hand up to the keys.

"Uh, I really don't play a lot. So forgive me if it sounds off…." Dan said before he took a deep breath then just went for it :

**Stay with me, baby stay with me**

**Tonight, don't leave me alone**

**Walk with meCome and walk with me**

**To the edge of all we've ever known**

**I can see you there with the city lights**

**Forteenth floor pale blue eyes**

**I can breathe you in**

**Two shadows standing by the bedroom door **

**You know I could not want you more **

**Then I did right then**

**As our heads leaned in**

Opening the door to his study, Nate couldn't help but feel like he was entering into The Captains most sacred area. His father had spent much time in his study doing business and holding meetings within, but he had never made it a habit to frequent his sacred area. Noticing his mother's presence after being summoned by her, Nate walked inside to join his parents in the sitting area of the room. Getting up from his chair, The Captain straightened out his dress shirt as he sat on the arm of the chair. Unsure as to what was going on and why his parents felt the need to summon him to the study with Blair on her way, Nate just looked at them with confusion. Taking her seat next to her husband, Nate's mother smiled at her son before giving a nod to her husband to go ahead with what they had planned. Getting up from his spot on the sofa, The Captain walked over to his desk to open up the drawer to pull out a small box. With the box in hand, Nate couldn't help but laugh as he knew what exactly the box meant. Handing him the box, Nate opened it up to see the very ring that his mother once wore when his parents were dating.

"Your father told me your plans, and I thought that you should give her a ring with value" Nate's mother smiled at him as he looked on at the ring

"I think she'd love this" Nate smiled as he looked up at his parents before they heard a knock come at the door to show the maid

"Ms. Waldorf has arrived" The maid told them

"Thank you" Nate said as he dismissed the maid "To the future" he smiled before closing the box

**Well I'm not sure what this going to be**

**But with my eyes clentched all I see **

**Is the sky line through the window**

**The moon above you and the streets below**

**Hold my breath as you're moving in**

**Taste your lips and feel your skin**

**When the time comes **

**Baby don't run, just kiss me slowly**

Looking back at into the living room as her father prepared the popcorn for them, Jenny quickly finished up her text that she was going to send off to Chuck. She hadn't been able to shake what he had told her, and she just wanted to show him her appreciation for being there for her. Reading over the message once more before she felt it was ready to send off, Jenny hit the send button before she headed back into the living room. Grabbing a seat on the sofa just as Rufus finished up seasoning the popcorn. Figuring that Dan would be able to handle the bar for the night, Rufus had sent a text to his son that he had a major break through with Jenny today and wanted to be around for her. Dan of course let him know that he had everything under control and wished for the best with Jenny. Laying out on the sofa, Jenny grabbed the remote control and hit play on the dvd player before the image of Dan and her when they were little popped up on the screen. A smile quickly came to her face as she remembered the time when it was just her and her brother with their big adventures in the bathtub. Looking at the image of herself at a young age, it helped her see that things were better when she was that little girl. Things were so much simpler and carefree….she wanted those feelings back, she wanted to be that girl who had the big adventures with her brother. Pulling Jenny close to him, Rufus kicked his feet up on the coffee table as they both laughed at the videos.

**Stay with me, baby stay with me**

**Tonight, don't leave me alone (me alone)**

**She shows everything she used to know**

**Picture frame and country roads**

**When days were long, and the world was small**

**She stood by has it fell apart**

**Seperate rooms and broken hearts**

**But I won't be the one to let you go**

**Ohhhh**

Staring up at the ceiling as he lay restlessly in bed, he looked over to the random girl beside him and just figured that he'd let her sleep for another twenty minutes before kicking her out. Turning his attention the city lights, Chuck found his pleasures in the city but also found his darkness in the still of the night. Hearing the vibration of his cell phone on his bedside, he reached over to grab his phone to see that he had received a text message. Sitting up in the bed, he opened his messages to see that it was from Jenny. Rolling his eyes in annoyance to the fact that it was from her, opening the text he read it to himself and just felt like he was reading something that was supposed to make him all weepy. Laughing to himself as he could only imagine the energy she had to extract on this heartfelt message, he reached his max of the corniness before he deleting the message. Holding onto his phone for a second, he felt a twinge of guilt for all that he had done to her, but he knew that it would only take a bit more to really break her. Feeling as if she was her lowest right now so if he built her up enough then the next fall that she would take would be hard from him to return from. Scrolling through his messages, he accidentally clicked out to see a picture of his mother. Staring at the picture for a while, he soon realized why he had to finish this. Going to his contact list, he was ready to finish the last phase of things.

"Hello" Katy answered the phone

"I need you to do me a favor" Chuck said as he could hear Katy begin to form reasons as to why she should help him "And trust me, I will make this worth your while" he said before she had time to interrupt

"What do you want?" Katy sighed

**I'm not sure what this going to be**

**But with my eyes clentched all I see **

**Is the sky line through the window**

**The moon above you and the streets below**

**Hold my breath as you're moving in**

**Taste your lips and feel your skin**

**When the time comes **

**Baby don't run, just kiss me slowly**

Surprised by his friends talent, Carter laughed to himself in total disbelief that he had a little musical friend. Grabbing a lighter from his pocket, he quickly put up his lighter with a flame illuminating at the top of it, he swayed from side to side. Looking over at Carter like was the weirdest person in the state of New York, Blair just shook her head at his choice of weird friends. She hadn't known that Dan was even a musician, but if he told her then he would most likely tell her that he was a writer at heart, though he was a writer she couldn't help but feel touched by what he was singing. Dan hadn't paid much attention to the people in the room as he was lost in the music. It had been a long time since he had played like this, but at times when he did, he got completely lost within the sounds of the keys. He was glad that he hadn't heard any booing sounds, so he knew he was doing something right. Once he had finished up the song, he slowly pulled away from the piano in shock that he had actually just did that. Turning to the crowd, he was met with a thunderous applause. Soaking it all in, he didn't allow the compliments to get to his head as he playfully took a bow before he motioned to get off the stage. Taking one final glance at the crowd, he quickly spotted her off in the corner. Shocked that she would even come, Dan jumped off the stage and quickly made his way through the crowd that still clapped for him. Getting up from his seat, Carter attempted to compliment his friend before Dan just flew past him. Rushing outside to catch her, he could only see the tail lights of a taxi go down the street. Realizing that she was probably a figment of his imagination playing tricks on him, Dan motioned to turn around before he saw a heel on the pavement. Walking over to pick up the heel to see that it had the initial BW on the inside. A laugh came to him as he couldn't help but think about how much she liked her fairytales. Holding the heel, he looked on at the taxi drive off and though he should have felt rejected by her here and gone appearance, he felt a sense of hope that she was at least realizing that something was there instead of the games and denial.

* * *

><p>With his legs crossed, Dr. Han listened intently as his patient talked on and on about their recent problems that had lead them to a breaking point. Hearing bits of information that he wanted to discuss when it came to his time to speak, he wrote down little notes so that he could remember in his talking points. At times he did find himself bored with the incessant drama that the woman added to her drawn out monologue of why she felt the need to commit suicide, but he did all he could to remain professional but most of all awake. Tears streamed down her face as she began to fan herself in hopes that she wouldn't begin to sob. Rubbing his eyes in an effort to keep himself awake, Dr. Han felt as if she was now talking a mile a minute and all he knew was that she was crying about something now. Once she had finished her long drawn out speech, Dr. Han began to fumble for words to say that would show that he was paying attention. Finally finding a list of words to string together, he motioned to speak before Blair quickly barged into the room.<p>

"Okay, I've got serious problems. Well more like guy problems or guys problem….wait its all ready plural, but whatever it is I've got them. Then to add to that, I might have serious friend problems….I'm just royally fu…" Blair babbled before the woman cut her off

"Hey! Its my session" The woman told her sternly before Blair turned to look at Dr. Han

"Blair, your scheduled to see me tomorrow morning. Not this morning" Dr. Han said before she took a moment to take in what was going on

"Is this the woman that wants to kill herself because her cat ran away?" Blair asked as Dr. Han quickly threw his hands up in the air with disbelief

"You talk about my sessions?" The woman asked

"Please, he tries to forget your sessions" Blair replied

"Mrs. Windsor, I'm so sorry about this. I promise to refund this session and you can come back tomorrow at her allotted time" Dr. Han quickly tried to apologize as he rushed over to his desk to write her a note down to give to his secretary

"That won't be necessary, I can solve this real quickly" Blair said as she took his seat and turned towards Mrs. Windsor "How long has the cat been missing?" she asked

"What?" Mrs. Windsor asked

"How long?" Blair asked

"Is she being for real?" Mrs. Windsor asked Dr. Han

"No, she's clearly showing a case of mistaken identity or crazy" Dr. Han reasoned

"Look if you put as much obsession into your husband like you do this cat, then maybe you'd understand why he is cheating on you with anything that moves. The cat is the least of your problems, when you have a dog in the house. Don't jump of the ledge or whatever route you were going to take to off yourself….get yourself a good divorce attorney and take everything Mr. Windsor has…trust me it will be worth living for" Blair instructed her "Now if you choose to actually stay in your creepy marriage, then view the missing cat as a sign that you should train the dog into pre-nup shape, that way if he comes up missing it will be for other reasons" she said as she leaned back in the chair making herself comfortable "Did I miss anything?" she turned to ask Dr. Han

"Remind me to cover filtering your mouth to things we have to discuss" Dr. Han sighed as she flopped down in his chair at his desk as Mrs. Windsor rose to her feet

"No, your right" Mrs. Windsor said

"Who?" Dr. Han and Blair asked her

"You, the crazy girl" Mrs. Windsor said "I need to train the dog and forget the cat. In my pre-nup it specifically states that if I stay another year then I'll get half of his earnings" she smiled as she began to realize "Then I'll be able to start my own cat farm that way I'll always be surrounded by my friends" she then revealed as Dr. Han shook his head in disbelief

"There you go, in some obsessed way you've managed to find a loop hole to the cat problem" Blair said "Why get even, when you can just get his millions" she declared as Mrs. Windsor began to pump herself

"This is the greatest session ever!" Mrs. Windsor yelled excitedly as Blair looked surprised that Mrs. Windsor had it in her to be so pumped. Once they were finally alone, Blair turned her chair towards Dr. Han so that she could get his attention.

"Back to my problem, I have two of them. One is Nate and the other is Dan" Blair told him

"And who are they?" Dr. Han asked

"The two problems. Aren't you listening?" Blair asked

"Look, its simple, choose one" Dr. Han told her

"It's not that simple" Blair replied as she gave Dr. Han a look that showed she was being serious about this. Grabbing a notepad out of his drawer, he put the date on it to keep it in order. Giving her another look to see if she was serious about this "You only have two more sessions, are you sure this is what you want to discuss?" he asked before she nodded yes. Shaking his head, he then went on to label it at the top in the corner with the title reading Nate verse Dan.

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics Used in this Chapter:**

**Kanye West- Power (remix)**

**Usher ft. Nicki Minaj- Little Freak**

**Parachute- Kiss Me Slowly**

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it. I loved this chapter for Blair because I wanted to show her as being scared and her usual Queen Bee self. I think she overall is the one character on the show we feel for more when she messes up because we get where it comes from, and I want to portray that in this chapter. I want to make Blair vulnerable but keep her ruthless because in essence I love that about her character that she's so flawed but when she makes a mistake she truly learns from it, she makes no apologies for who she is and I love that about her character and in people in general. Blair as you know set Dan up to fail, but she did so only because she needed to see that he was for real. Dan in this chapter has truly showed her that he is for real so this will really lead to her being honest about who she wants in the next chapter with the whole Nate verse Dan. In this chapter Dan sings, and I know your like Dan would never sing, but that was me living out my little fantasy that Penn would actually sing on the show because I hear he is pretty good on piano, and Leighton is great singer, so that was me living out my little fantasy of seeing them showing their talents off on the show, but I know it was unrealistic...so don't worry I will make it right in the next chapter to show that he's no musician but dabbles in it but he's truly a writer. Sorry I was being greedy. Lol. I really wanted to end out Blair's bulimia issue on a high note because I wanted to show her as someone who is dealing with it and fessing to it, but not letting it run her life. By her revealing her secret first she took away the power from someone else who could have done so in a mean spirited way, and by doing that I think she took the power back over her life in general. I had to admit I was proud of her myself after that, I had a tear moment. So we have 2 Episodes/Chapters left, and things are in high gear now with all storylines getting ready to take off and get crazy. So I know I'm getting annoying with this, but let me know if you want that Season 2? I'll stop asking after this chapter but I just want to see how you guys feel after the last chapter to gage how you really feel about a season 2 remix. I have to say that I'm super excited for the last chapter, so I look forward to the feedback and hope you enjoyed :) If you have questions, please feel free to ask**


	17. Woman on the Verge

**Author's Note: Sorry its late, had some computer problems. I wanted to thank all of you for your kind words in your reviews, they meant a lot. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to feedback.**

**Chapter Seventeen- Woman on the Verge**

Tapping her finger on the side table beside her, Blair was in deep concentration as she thought over the question that Dr. Han had posed to her. Earlier that morning she had made a bee line straight for his office in an attempt to finally come the conclusion that has become her world of confusion over the past few days. It had become like she had two boyfriends, and although she wanted to figure out her feelings for both of them, she just felt it was easier to keep them both to see if any flaws would arise between the two. Her love life had always consisted of just Nate and no one else, but to have two guys in her life, she felt like she had the darkest of secrets that surpassed any other secret she hoped the world would never know in the end. Dorota on occasion would eye Blair strangely as if she were waiting for her to crack, but Blair had just cracked that up to her mind playing tricks on her. The guilt was weighing on her, but the pleasures of being desired played into the mix as well, which allowed the bad in her to continue on with the charade of being the devoted best friend, with a rebuilding relationship while she was sneaking a kiss or two from the help. If there was ever a time she had something in common with Eva Longoria, she was feeling that now was the time to relate to the temptress. Coming at her scheduled time, Dr. Han was pleased that she at least manage to follow one of the things he had told her to do.

"The little exercises you gave, they didn't work" Blair pointed out as they took their seats in their respective parts of his office

"Of course, they never do when it comes to you" Dr. Han sighed "What minor thing have you blown up into a major problem now?" he asked

"Are you even suppose to say that to me?" Blair questioned as she detected a hint of attitude from him

"I think you've surpassed a normal doctor, patient role. We're in the role where I'm just trying to get you to realize that in your mind you create this fantasy and you allow that fantasy to come to life, therefore; you kick out any possible source of reality to creep in, thus the reason why you've found something wrong with what I've assigned you to do" Dr. Han told her as she just tried to process his therapy speak

"I have this feeling like in the midst of that long winded rant….you insulted me" Blair said

"No, I didn't insult you. I just simply can not help you, if you don't want to be helped, which seems to be a recurring theme with you" Dr. Han said

"Clearly I want to be helped or I wouldn't have you bill my mother for all these sessions" Blair

"Sessions in which we spend most of the time doing the run around" Dr. Han told her "Blair, all I ask of you, is to just be honest. Be honest with yourself, open up to your feelings, and realize the things that you're too scared to admit to yourself in the outside world" he told her

"This is the outside world, these walls consist of the outside world. The only internal world I have is in my head" Blair replied

"These walls are the only space where you can tell me the truth, and you won't be judged" Dr. Han said

"The truth is so truthy though….it sounds bad sometimes, when you have to admit it. Lying sounds good to the ear, it makes it like a rose garden to go through, where there no thorns that are going to prick you" Blair said

"Newflash, there are thorns in the lying garden" Dr. Han replied

"Not in my lying garden" Blair quickly replied

"But there is, the truth will bite you or in this case, prick you" Dr. Han told her

"You can't take my analogy and use it against me. That's mindrism, it's a new form of plagiarism without the paper and ink" Blair said

"Okay, Blair get to the point!" Dr. Han snapped at her causing her to refocus on the point "Is it Nate or Dan?" he asked

"I haven't chosen one" Blair said

"But that was the assignment. You have to sit down and….I don't even know why I bother because you never do the assignment" Dr. Han said realizing that he was only wasting his time by explaining the point of assignments to her

"Look, on paper it's the obvious choice….Nate, by a longshot. Dan, is like this underdog though…you keep waiting for him to strike out, but he just stays in the race even the probability of winning is low" Blair said

"So do you think he has no chance with you?" Dr. Han asked

"If he's with me, then there is an us, and I have fully come to terms that Dan Humphrey is my kind of boyfriend material" Blair reasoned

"But you have feelings for him?" Dr. Han asked

"Very much so" Blair replied

"Then how does he not meet your standard of boyfriend material?" Dr. Han questioned

"I don't know….he just can't" Blair pouted "See! This is why I hate your assignments" she said

"You hate them because they cause you to think and not make some stereotypical judgment" Dr. Han pointed out "Who have you spent the most time with this week?" he asked

"Both" Blair replied as Dr. Han just looked at her "Nate in the mornings, Dan at night….that makes me sound like such a whore, doesn't it?" she then asked realizing how bad that sounded

"I'd rather not answer that" Dr. Han replied as he leaned back in his chair as he began to play with his pen "What do you do with both of these guys? I mean what is it about them that makes you so hard pressed to decide?" he asked

* * *

><p><strong>Just shoot for the stars<strong>

**If it feels right**

**Then aim for my heart**

**If you feel like**

**Can take me away, and make it okay**

**I swear **

**I'll behave**

Leaning in to give her one final kiss on the nape of her neck, Nate was almost tempted to advance to the next level. Though he knew her rules on them sleeping together had probably become more stringent with them getting back together. He had always wondered what life would be like not being with Blair, and though he wished that he were wild enough to taste the forbidden fruit of the girls that had been come to be seen as shameful on the Upper Eastside, a part of his heart had always belonged to Blair. She was all he had ever known, and all that he could process as his past and future for years to come. Getting out of the limo, Nate extended his hand out to grab hers as they walked the red carpet of the latest exhibit at the Metropolitan that had all of New York's finest out that evening. It was no doubt in her mind that they looked the part of a star studded couple, but her doubts of his heart is what made her skeptical to get caught up in the hype of how they were together. To their peers they were like Brad and Jen, but Blair feared the Angelina that would soon arrive in their relationship….if she wasn't there all ready in the form of her best friend. Nate had done all he could to put distance between Serena and himself, but it wasn't so much that what they had done, but it just felt like to her that he shouldn't have to try so hard to put distance between them if he truly was about her. She didn't want to go back to the girl she once was in the relationship, where she would accuse him of every little detail like how long he looked at her was second compared to a nanosecond, she wanted to get past that girl and be the new person she was slowly starting to fall in love with. Gripping on tight to his hand as she saw an oncoming crowd coming up, she feared that as they navigated through that he might lose her along the way.

**You wanted control**

**Sure we waited**

**I put on a show**

**Now I make it**

**You say I'm a kid**

**My ego is big**

**I don't give a sh*t**

**And it goes like this**

To everyone in the house they were considered to be on civil terms with Dan occasionally being the voice of the people, but mostly he respected the fact that there were certain things she had to have done her way. Sitting at the table, they both flipped through the French magazines that her father had sent to her. She hadn't been to fluent in it, but she was coming to understand some of the terms that were used throughout the pages that helped her feel like she was identify with all things French. On occasion they would spout out French words that would interest them, and she would say her words, he'd write it down on a piece of paper. She looked over at him in wonder of what the words were for, but she figured it was probably some weird Humphrey thing. Finishing up their magazines, Dan quickly took to his list of words as he immediately began to look in his French dictionary to translate. A smile came to her face as she wouldn't have thought he'd be that into learning French with her, that the words that mattered to her would then translate to the words that mattered to him. Not wanting to show how impressed she was by his little gesture, she'd poke fun at him for writing so weird but he had come to expect her teasing these days and even liked to hear what new things she'd have to point out about him. Though he would never say this to her, but the more she teased him, the more he became aware of the fact that she noticed him in the littlest ways. Hearing his phone go off in his pocket, Dan reached into his pocket to pull out the device to see that he had a text from Blair. Looking at her curiously, he opened up his text to read the message.

**Blair: Meet me in my room in five minutes**

Looking up from his phone, he could see Blair all ready heading up the staircase to her room. Turning slightly to look back him in the most seductive way, it took all of Dan not to run behind her and literally carry her up to her room. Rushing off into the kitchen, Dan had to make sure to let Dorota know that he would busy doing something else that way she'd know where he was so that she wouldn't look for him. Dorota just smiled at him in the weirdest way that he didn't have to time to process.

**Take me by the tongue**

**And I'll know you**

**Kiss til you're drunk**

**And I'll show you**

Guiding her over towards the balcony, Nate pointed out at the horse that Chuck and him had betted on to win at this weekends exclusive race. Blair hadn't been one to watch horses go around a track, but it gave her an excuse to wear her new dress from her mother's line and for her to notice Nate's strong arms. Through out the day she pretended to understand what he was talking about as she just fanned herself with her little miniature fan. The way Nate went on to talk about the horse, she swore that he had fallen in love with it, but she knew that it was Chuck and his idea of adding money to their all ready loaded trust funds. Taking her seat, in hopes to dodge the sun rays that were hitting up against her skin. Perspiration was not an option she was willing to take in this dress. After a while of sitting down, Blair hoped that Nate would catch the hint and join her, but once Chuck showed up on what was supposed to be their date, he had turned his attention to celebrating with his friend as their horse was about to rake in a big pot of money for the both of them. Normally she would have been upset with him for taking their date and turning it into a Chuck date, but after they had collected on their prize, Nate wasted no time in showering her with gifts….the hundred dollar gifts that she had grew accustomed to.

**You want the moves like jagger**

**I got the moves like jaggerI got the mooooooves…like jagger**

**I don't even try to control you**

**Look into my eyes and I'll own you**

**You with the moves like jagger**

**I got the moves like jagger**

**I got the mooooooves…like jagger**

Gasping for air, both Blair and Dan stared up at the ceiling as their final round had done a number on them. A smile came to her face that something so wrong could feel so good. She had questioned if she could keep up the charade with Dan, but when they had the type of sex they just got done doing, it made it so much easier to invite him into her bed by the minute. Looking over at him, she was quickly met by his smile as she could see that she wasn't alone in her thoughts. Running her hand through her hair, she finally got a hold on her breathing before she glanced over to see the time that read on the clock. Propping herself up so that she could pull up her panties, Dan in return began to pull his boxers up. Wondering what she had planned next, they both began to fix themselves up so that they at least looked presentable, when they had to face people. Heading over to her closet, Blair began to tug at her dresses that would be best for tonight before putting them on her bed. Standing in confusion, Dan just looked at her go back and forth from her closet to her bed, just putting dresses on her bed. Realizing that he looked a little dazed and confused, Blair stopped dead in her tracks to turn her attention towards him.

"Humphrey, your standing" Blair told him

"Yeah, I'm standing. What are you doing?" Dan asked her

"I'm getting ready to go" Blair replied "I have a date tonight with Nate" she said

"Date?" Dan asked "But I thought…with the whole sex and the more sex….what just happened?" he asked

"Sex" Blair replied "Your not mad are you?" she then asked as she could see a wave of confusion on his face

"No, I just…you know what, go with….go with the black" Dan told her as he walked over to grab the dress that he thought would do her justice

"Black, you think this looks good on me?" Blair asked with a bit intrigue that he was a style expert now

"Yeah, it gives you a whole Holly Golightly look" Dan said as Blair just smiled

"Because Breakfast at Tiffany's is my favorite movie" Blair smiled "I'm surprised you even remember that" she siad

"I remember a lot about you" Dan said as he ran his hand through his hair before he walked over to the door "Have fun tonight" he sighed as he left the room.

* * *

><p>Looking on skeptically at the two girls, Jenny tried to busy herself with looking through the racks of clothing. Ever since her dismissal from the group, Jenny had lost all contact with any of Blair's followers, probably because it was rule, but she had not even spoken a word to Katy and Isobel since then. That morning, when she heard a pounding on the door, Jenny opened up the door to find the two happy to see her. A part of her felt like her mind was playing tricks on her, but as the day progressed, she began to realize that this was real. They had spent most of the day going shopping as they offered numerously to buy her any piece of material that she found pleasing to the eye. The more she turned down that offer, the more she began to weigh the option of taking on the deal. She had thought that Blair was running a game on her or trying to see where her head was at so that she could be let back in to the group, but Jenny knew that Blair wasn't one to play around in that manner. If Katy and Isobel were here, it was for other reasons she began to think. Trying on her dress, Jenny looked at herself in the mirror and once again felt like the girl that truly belonged in this world of money and excess, but she had hoped the daunting memory of it all being a fantasy come back into her head.<p>

"Jenny, that dress on you looks amazing" Katy told her as the smiled at her from behind

"Yes, it totally looks good on you" Isobel added

"Thanks" Jenny replied nervously before turned to take off her "You know, you guys have been so nice all day, so you really don't have to compliment me as well" she said

"Oh, we're being honest. We'd usually say something nice then text afterwards to say how we really feel about you to each other" Katy said

"Thanks, I guess" Jenny replied to the statement "So while I enjoy this unusual appearance from you guys, I have to wonder is Blair behind this?" she asked

"God no!" Isobel quickly replied "Blair is too busy with all things Serena right now, ever since Dan and her broke up, its like she's thrown herself into wedding mode, forgetting the fact that a boy from Brooklyn dumped her" she went on to say

"And you do know that boy from Brooklyn is my brother, right?" Jenny asked

"Yes, but still…geography matters here" Isobel said

"Okay, moving on. Then what brings you two to me?" Jenny asked "If not Blair then who?" she asked

"If not Blair then Chuck Bass" Katy said as Isobel quickly slapped her on the arm

"Great, now we'll never get our tickets" Isobel scolded her

"Tickets?" Jenny asked "Wait, why does Chuck have you two hanging out with me?" she then asked as they looked at her like they were busted

"Look, we'd tell you that you that he wants us to hang out with you because you have no female friends, and he's busy, but we can't divulge that information" Katy told her as Isobel just looked at her

"Like you just did right now" Isobel told her "I'm slowly but surely seeing my beach party experience fading away" she said

"What are you talking about?" Jenny asked

"The Hamptons, this summer" Isobel replied "The Vanderbilts are like royalty up there, and every year they throw the end all to end all beach parties" she went on to say

"I'm not talking about the beach. Why does Chuck have you guys hanging out with me? I have female friends" Jenny said

"Like who?" Katy asked "Blair banned you, and she banned any possible friendship along with that" she stated

"Okay, this is true, but I can make friends. I've just been all angst as of late" Jenny reasoned

"You should consider yourself flattered by the gesture, I mean Chuck doesn't bother to entertain the female persuasion. He likes to hit it and quit it as they say…I should know" Katy said

"And that doesn't surprise me" Jenny replied as she didn't find it all to surprising that the two had hooked up "I don't think having a guy tell other people to hang out with you is flattering" she reasoned

"It is when its Chuck Bass" Isobel stated "Chuck asks and he receives" she said

"Yeah, well he asked me for something and he has yet to receive" Jenny quickly replied "And I still don't find it flattering. I find it humiliating…did he give you money to take me out?" she asked

"No….yes" Katy answered "He wanted you to have a good time and shop somewhere that was in our price range…and you live in Brooklyn, so nowhere here is your price range" she quickly defended

"I can't believe him?" Jenny fumed as she began to take her dress off

"He was trying to do something nice for you, its like Richard Gere with Julia Roberts….so you're the hooker in this scenario, you still got the dress" Isobel told her in hopes that it would inspire some happy feelings in her

"I don't really see it that way" Jenny said "This is embarrassing" she then declared

"How is this embarrassing?" Isobel asked "Don't act like your not the slightest bit flattered" she told her

"It's Chuck Bass, girls are his specialty…so I doubt I'm the only one he's done this for" Jenny said "This is insane and crazy for you guys to just buy me stuff all on his account" she said

"Why?" Isobel and Katy asked in confusion

"Don't tell me you don't see him that way?" Katy said "Every girl see's him that way" she told her

"Okay, Chuck is….he's a lingering effect. He's like something that sticks with you even after" Jenny replied

"Lingering is good, lingering sounds sexual" Katy said

"It's not…I mean I'm not, well….he's just too much" Jenny said

"Too much what?" Isobel asked "Because Chuck is more than enough" she smiled

"That's what I'm talking about" Jenny pointed out "How am I supposed to think that anything he does is genuine, when he does all this stuff for other people" she told them "I mean if we kiss…" she said before she was interrupted

"Wait, you two kissed?" Katy asked picking up on that detail quickly

"Yes, but now…its nothing" Jenny replied

"Oh, this is something" Katy smiled as she clapped "What type of kiss was it?" she asked

"It was a simple kiss. I was a little depressed and then he told me he was there for me, then he kissed me" Jenny said

"This makes sense now" Isobel laughed "I mean this is all starting to add up as to why he wanted us to take little J out" she said

"Care to share?" Katy asked with an intrigued look on her face

"I think Bass is trying to reel in a little J" Isobel smiled

"What?" Jenny asked in disbelief "Now that's insane" she said

"Is it? I mean lets face it, Brooklyn is making a comeback this year" Isobel said

"Face it little J, you've got yourself a Bass on your hands" Katy laughed

* * *

><p>Being around the Waldorf penthouse, he had come to learn that anything and everything could happen. Eleanor could come across as normal sometimes to the young boy, but when she had her wealthy clients come in, it was always a big charade. Though sometimes they would be clients, the other times they would just be wealthy friends that she had that were in town. Nothing seemed out of the realm of possibility, when it came to being at the Waldorf penthouse. Rivers Christianson, the owner of some of the finest yacht clubs all over the states, had been a long time friend of Eleanor, so when he came into town at the last minute, it was like she had to move heaven and earth to make his visit a pleasant one. He had come over so often that Blair had come to see him as Uncle Rivers. Eleanor had let it be known that Dan was essential to her household, so on his first meeting of Rivers, she didn't want him to be seen as the help, but someone that was part of the family. Sitting at the table, just laughing and talking after dinner was over, Dan couldn't help but feel like Rivers was just a down to earth guy. One would never know by talking to a guy like Rivers that he had money beyond money that he'd be able to buy his own state and fund it, but then again that was the type of money they all had. Rivers spoke about the wacky stories he encountered with his job, and inquired the necessary details about all things Blair. Of course it was a little awkward when he had asked about her relationship with Nate, but Dan had come to deal with the awkwardness that Nate was the boyfriend.<p>

"So this is the Danny boy that Harold mentioned" Rivers smiled as he took a sip of his drink "He looks efficient" he teased as Eleanor just laughed

"We're still looking for better though" Blair replied

"Blair" Eleanor said

"What? Humphrey is used to the put downs" Blair laughed

"The sad thing is that she is right on that fact. That is us, the wit and banter" Dan said

"You play a mean game of futbol, that is the Spanish word" Rivers said

"Yeah, I play for the school. How'd you know?" Dan asked

"Rivers loves soccer" Eleanor replied "He spends most of his time flying around the world to catch the latest games rather than doing his job" she said

"I wouldn't go that far, but I do like to watch my share" Rivers replied

"And you're a yacht man, so you've probably seen all the world and picked up new things" Dan said

"I do. I've been on enough boats that it becomes sickening when I receive yacht party invites" Rivers replied "My job is customer satisfaction and having a big ass boat at the sea port that screams money, it brings pleasures to my clients" he joked

"Rivers as a name, that was the dead give away that you'd be a boat guy" Blair said

"That's what my mother tends to say…"Rivers said before Eleanor interrupted

"That and the fact that you need a wife by now" Eleanor teased

"Oh, your such the comedian" Rivers declared "Your making me miss the key points, Dan is a soccer player…I like soccer, and I want to know what his intentions are for the future of his soccer career" he said

"He has a soccer career, this I have to hear" Blair laughed as she turned to look at Dan

"I just play for fun, I'm a writer" Dan told him

"That's clever but with your skills, you should try to get on a charter or something that allows you to play year round" Rivers told him

"I'm a writer, that's the only thing that makes sense to me. I mean with soccer I have to condition and train, with writing…I just do it" Dan said

"But you could be…." River said before Blair cut him off

"Rivers, he's a writer. So you'll have to stop your soccer recruitment. I fear you'll offer him a yacht just to play on a charter team" Blair said

"I just might" Rivers laughed "Sorry, I just get excited when I see a potential David Beckham among my midst" he told Dan

"I appreciate the compliments and the comparison, but its all for fun" Dan smiled

"If you…" Rivers began to say before Blair once again interjected

"Drop it" Blair told him

"Fine. I'll drop it" Rivers sighed as he slowly got up from his seat "Do you still want that twirl around city?" he turned to ask Eleanor

"Do you have that bottle of wine I requested?" Eleanor asked "Because I'll need to be heavily liquored up after I tell you the story of my divorce" she said

"I ordered a case, you'll be beyond drunk…I'm putting you in a coma" Rivers said as they got up from the table

"In that case, I suggest that you stay the night with Rivers" Blair said

"Oh, the possibilities with that one" Rivers joked

"No, no. We're not" Eleanor laughed

"Do you want me to have a car come for you in the morning?" Dan asked

"Yes, that would be nice" Eleanor replied "You see how the kids tend to take care of me" she told Rivers

"I see, you've upgraded" Rivers laughed before he looked down at his watch "C'mon, lets get you drunk" he said as they headed over towards the elevators

"Be safe" Blair called out to her mother before Rivers and Eleanor stepped on to the elevator to take off for the night. Turning to look back at Dan, Blair gave him a quick smile before she headed into the living room to lay down on the sofa. Heading over to join her in the living room, Dan pulled her legs up to put on top of his.

"He was cool" Dan said as he rested his head up against the back of the sofa "The Rivers guy, he's cool" he said

"Yeah, the Rivers guy is cool" Blair said as clenched on tight to the pillow beside her "Do you have to clean up the dining area?" she asked with her eyes half shut

"It'd probably be nice, so I would say yes" Dan said as he rubbed her leg, which only made her more sleepy "After though, we should watch a movie…Stanly Kubrick to be exact" he laughed

"Stanly Kubrick, it figures you'd want to watch that" Blair laughed at him as she turned her attention towards him "Tonight is not a Kubrick night" she told her "The Gold Rush" she smiled as Dan quickly groaned

"What is with your Charlie Chaplin phase?….I never took you as a silent film sort of deal" Dan laughed

"First of all, I love Charlie Chaplin. He paved the way for all the contortion comedians that we see plastered all over the films" Blair declared

"And you've clearly let that be known" Dan said "Cross of Iron is coming on tonight at midnight…so if your lucky" he said before Blair leaned up to hit him on the arm

"I'm not watching a war film, so you can stop that delusion as of now" Blair laughed "We're not seeing eye to eye on this movie thing Humphrey…I'm beginning to worry about you" she teased

"Okay, well let me clean up the dining area, and I'll get back to you with other options" Dan said as he lifted her feet off his lap before getting up

"And if I happen to fall asleep as you ponder?" Blair asked

"You won't" Dan smiled at her

"Don't be so sure, I have had a long day consisting of bridesmaid duties…I'm bound to sleep and never wake up" Blair told him

"You won't…I'm just sure of it Waldorf" Dan laughed as he headed into the dining area. Folding her arms, Blair did her best to drift off to sleep just so she could prove that she would fall asleep on him, but she just couldn't shake the cocky smile on his face. Trying her best to fall asleep, she tossed and turned but found no success in it. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she got up from her spot on the sofa and headed into the dining area to join Dan. "Told you, you wouldn't" he smiled before Blair hit him with a dish towel

"Just tell me where all this stuff goes" Blair told him as she headed over to the other side of the table to gather the plates.

**I don't know but...**

**I think I maybe fallin' for you**

**Dropping so quickly**

**Maybe I should keep this to myself**

Gathering the trays of dishes and utensils, Dan put his load down on the counter top before looking back to see if Blair was anywhere close to being behind him. Coming to the conclusion that she wasn't, he turned to head back to the dining area but was then stopped by her groaning in agony from carrying the tray. Laughing to himself at how dramatic she could be, Dan took the tray from her and placed it beside the other that he had put down. Hoping that this would be the end of his tasks, Blair took the rag to clean her hands, knowing that later on she would have to sanitize her hands until they were red and bleeding from all the germs she picked up. Turning on the facet to get the water running, Dan poured some soap in to the sink as Blair just looked on in confusion as to what he had to do next. Just laughing to himself as he could only imagine what she was thinking now as he loaded the dishes into the sink and hand washed them. Half of her wanted to just head up to bed and just chalk this experience up as being perverse, but she knew if she didn't help him then he would never let her hear the last of it. Rolling her sleeves up, Blair couldn't hide the disgust as she headed over to the sink to help him. Letting her in between his arms, he guided her through the process of washing a dish by hand.

**Waiting 'til I..**

**know you better**

**I am trying..**

**Not to tell you..**

**But I want to..**

Sitting on top of the counter munching on some chips, Dan looked on at Blair raid the fridge for their snacks of their unknown movie they would watch together. Noticing that all she was pulling out of the fridge was carrots, apples, celery sticks, water, and pineapples; Dan could quickly see that his idea of junk food was not being met with what she had laid out. Closing the door to the fridge, she smiled happily thinking that she had successfully manage to cure his bad eating habits and grabbed food that were good and healthy for the both of them. She had thought to grab a can of Ensure, which was what her dietician had prescribed for her while in the Ostroff Center, but she didn't want to ruin the night with the overwhelming thought of trying to gain weight and then eat healthy all at the same time. Knowing that it was still difficult for her to accept that the Ensures were a constant reminder of how she needed to stay healthy in fear of those days when it came to slipping back into old habits, Dan pretended as if he hadn't even noticed they were there, so it was easy for her to see that they weren't there as well. Giving her speech of healthy eating, Dan tilted his head to the side as boredom took over. Hearing the bell that let them know that someone was coming up on the elevator, Blair looked on trying to figure out who could be coming so late until Dan hopped off the counter and headed towards the elevator. Following behind him, Dan pulled money out of his pocket as the elevator doors opened up and a pizza guy stepped off. Handing over Dan's pizza and a large brown bag, Dan handed the guy the money before he stepped back on to the elevator. Glaring at Dan, Blair couldn't believe that he was straying away from her attempt to eat healthy.

"What?" Dan asked her "I got you a chicken Caesar salad" he told her as he handed her the bag.

**I'm scared of what you'll say**

**So I'm hiding.. what I'm feeeling..**

**But I'm tired of**

**Holding this inside my head**

Snacking away on his pizza as he flipped through the television stations, Dan looked on to see that Blair was still in the restroom putting on her pajamas. Usually when they were in her room they were doing other things besides hanging out, but it was the rare occasion that they talked but it was a first for them to just hang out. Looking over to see her now brushing her hair out, Dan laughed to himself at how girly she could truly be. Putting her hair up in a bun, she then turned the light off in the bathroom before she walked over to join him in front of the television. Noticing that he had practically eaten up all the pizza, she just shook her head in disbelief that he could eat so much and not gain a thing. Dan was active, but if he never were to work out after all that he ate, she knew he'd be as big as a house. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, she looked on at the highlighted selections in the tv guide, hoping that he didn't sneak in his picks over hers, Blair had finally come to an agreement on a movie that they could watch. Grabbing the remote to put it on the channel that was going to play Citizen Kane, Dan looked up at her with the biggest of smiles that they had finally come to a conclusion. Turning to look at his pizza box, he could see her hand creep down to grab a slice of pizza. Opening up the lid so that she could grab her slice without having to sneak to do it, Blair just hit him on the shoulder before she just grabbed her slice.

**I've been spending all my..time**

**Just thinking about ya**

**I don't know what to do**

**I think I'm fallin' for you**

Resting his head on the pillow as the movie began to wane on him, Dan did all he could to stay awake through yet another hours worth of the movie. From the beginning they had changed spots from the bed to the ground, in hopes that where ever they had moved to they would be able to stay awake, Blair ended up on the floor beside him. Rubbing his eyes as he began to feel himself nodding off into sleep, he looked over beside him to see that she was knocked out. Laying on the floor, she used her folded arms as pillows while she slept so peacefully. His desire to finish the movie had gone down with each minute that passed until he finally leaned forward to turn the television off. Getting up from the ground, he kneeled down to pick her up off the ground so that he could carry her over to the bed. Doing all he could not to wake her, Dan found himself looking on in amazement at how beautiful she looked even when she was asleep. Grabbing the blanket, he put it over her so that she wouldn't get cold during the night. For a moment, he just stared at her as if he wanted to remember this forever in his mind. Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her forehead before pushing away a strand of hair from her face. Slowly backing away before he got caught up in the moment, he left her room, making sure to close the door behind him quietly.

**I've been waiting all my.. life**

**and now i found ya**

**I dont know what to do**

**I think I'm falling for you...**

**I'm falling for you...**

* * *

><p>He'd always prided himself to be just like his father, when it came to business, so it was no surprise that the way he managed his staff was that of the same. Being a teen running a business, people were eager to think he was playing dress up, when in fact Chuck was more than capable and did do a good job when it came to Victrola. Chuck wasn't good at school or being around his peers without a drink in hand, but the one thing that he was great at was the fact that business was his strong suit. Sometimes he'd hope that his father would come down to be a part of this business ventures besides being a demanding silent partner, but Bart hadn't really showed too much interest in the things that Chuck liked. He viewed his father's absence in the worst of ways, but then figured if he could turn this place into something than he'd have no choice but to catch his father's eye. Taking a seat at one of the tables, Chuck dropped his stacks of paperwork that he had to get through today before he reluctantly sat down to face it. Separating out the pile so that it appeared a bit more manageable, he felt like he had a bit of hope that he could get through this in the next two hours. Just as he began to look over the monthly profits, he could hear footsteps coming towards him. The scent had gotten to him before the person, which made it all too easier for him to just ignore the fact that it was someone that he didn't want to deal with at this moment.<p>

"You know, when they suggested dogs, I didn't think that'd be necessary….but now I'm considering" Chuck said as he dropped his pen and turned his attention to Joel "What are you doing here?" he asked

"I came by to pick up my files" Joel told him "I have a meeting with Worthington, and I need my files" he replied

"Trashed em'…anything else you don't need?" Chuck asked

"You trashed my files? You can't just trash my documents!" Joel replied angrily

"The hell I can't. I told you to get all your stuff off of my properties and you left it….hence it being in the barrel somewhere in the burrows" Chuck told him

"Okay, okay. I actually thought we could have a civil conversation because I did realize that business had to come first….but I see you want to screw over what little friendship we have left" Joel said

"You did that when you decided to bad mouth me to investors….don't take it personal…" Chuck said before Joel interrupted

"It's just business, I get it" Joel replied as he got tired of the phrase by the minute

"No, it was just revenge" Chuck said

"What happened to you? You used to be better than this….now your just like him. I always knew you were damaged goods, but your one saving grace was that you despised your father so much that you didn't want to be like him" Joel said "What happened to that?" he asked

"Reality" Chuck answered

"Reality?….yeah, its reality" Joel laughed to himself in disbelief "Right now you may not see it, but I was your friend….maybe down the line we could be friends again" he told him

"Friends are accessories to life, not something I need to have in order to survive" Chuck told him as Jenny made her way into the club to see the two together "Now if you excuse me, I have some matters to attend to" he told him as he waved Jenny over to them

"I'm taking that meeting with Worthington" Joel told him

"Go ahead, you'll be wasting your time" Chuck smirked

"Well it doesn't hurt to give it a try" Joel said before he turned to look at Jenny "Be careful with this one…he's on the war path" he quickly told her as he passed by

"What was that all about?" Jenny asked

"Same old, same old" Chuck sighed "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be out?" he asked

"With Katy and Isobel?" Jenny asked "Yeah, you picked your cover was blown on that one, so explain to me why you felt the need to hand me off as some babysitting challenge?" she asked him

"I didn't do that" Chuck replied "I just asked them to hang out with you so you could get out of your depression, and by the looks of how your dressed….I see it worked" he said as he went back to his paperwork

"Yeah, it helped a bit" Jenny said as she took a seat at the table "Are you working?" she asked

"That's what it looks like" Chuck replied not tearing his eyes away from his paperwork

"Okay, well thank you for the not so subtle attempt for me to have friends" Jenny sighed as she got up from her seat

"Don't mention it" Chuck said

"Are you really going to be a jackass right now?" Jenny asked as he let out a sigh of frustration

"No, I'm not trying to be a jackass. I just have a crap load of work to get through and little time to talk before I have to go to this dinner tonight" Chuck said

"The social calendar for this world never ceases to amaze me" Jenny said to herself as she took her seat "Do you need help?" she asked

"Help? From you?" Chuck questioned

"Don't make it sound so bad why don't you" Jenny replied sarcastically

"No, I'm good. I have to get this done" Chuck said

"And I'll help you. Just consider me your business partner for the day" Jenny said as she took a pile of his paperwork

"Jenny" Chuck said as she picked up a paper to look at

"Just tell me how and we'll get through it quicker" Jenny told him as he just looked at her to see if she was serious "Am I comparing the columns?" she asked as she looked at the paper

"Yeah, you compare gains in different areas. Gains equal profit, then you see how in demand the product was or is" Chuck sighed as he figured it was better to just let her help rather than protest. Just as he was getting used to this idea of help, the waitress came over to him to hand him a box

"This was just delivered for you" The waitress said as Chuck grabbed the box to look down at the name of the sender. A look of confusion came over him as he looked down to see that the box was sent from Katie.

* * *

><p>Although their playoff success was short lived, Dan had gained attention throughout the area as becoming one of the bright spots of the team. Coach Matthews had guaranteed to center a team around him, but that was in hopes of keeping his job in the near future. Dan hadn't really been big on the recognition that he was getting because it was ultimately something he did for fun, but he was starting to see that maybe sports would be his ticket into college. Running around the field with Carter, Dan did his best to not to think of his night but he had found that last night was staying with him longer than should be. It was easier to talk to Carter about things going on with Blair and him because he seemed to always give great advice in that area, but there was something about last night that just made him realize something that should have all ready been clear to him from the beginning. Since breaking up with Serena, he found himself living more freely and not stressing over the usual stuff that he would, but at the same time he knew what he wanted and he knew that.<p>

"One more mile?" Carter asked through heavy breathing

"Yeah" Dan replied as they continued on with their running

"Tell me about Rivers?" Carter asked "Was he a cool guy?" he then asked

"Rivers was pretty laid back, better than what I thought he would be. I just don't get what he does" Dan said

"How can you not understand what he does, its plain and simple" Carter laughed

"Simple. I don't get it" Dan replied

"Rivers owns a string of country clubs along the west coast, the islands, and the east coast. He usually sails around the world just bringing in more business for himself, but he hires people a hefty amount of money to sail his boats to crazy locations that people would only dream of. My dad had a friend that worked for him, and off of one year of working for Rivers….the guy was able to buy a loft in the heart of New York City" Carter told him

"So he's like some guy that has a life of luxury and leisure, just sailing around on his big boats" Dan laughed

"Basically, but it is the beautiful life" Carter said

"You guy know nothing but the beautiful life apparently" Dan said "So I wanted to talk to you about something" he brought up

"Blair, I presume would be the topic" Carter laughed

"Your right" Dan smiled "We hung out last night, and it was actually pretty fun" he said

"Was this sex fun?" Carter asked

"Actually no. She helped with my tasks around the house, then we debated over what movie to watch, ate pizza, then just hung out" Dan told him "I have to say it was the best time we've ever had together, it felt like we were actually dating" he said

"But your…creeping is it? Because she's still sort of linked to Nate and your not" Carter said

"I'm not linked to Nate in anyway, well the fact that I'm sleeping with his girlfriend does tend to change that link" Dan said "That's besides the point, I just feel like lately I can see us really working" he said

"So what? Your seeing wedding bells now?" Carter teased

"No, I just think that our fears are if we'd ever be more than just sex and banter…but we work, we understand each other" Dan told him

"In some odd way you do" Carter replied "So how do you foresee your Nate problem then?" he asked

"I don't want him to be a problem anymore…I think its stupid that he's even in the equation" Dan said

"You're the one that doesn't want to pressure her into ending her relationship, that whole understanding trait isn't doing you any good" Carter told him

"Yeah, well I've come to the conclusion that maybe I should start putting pressure on her. Tell her to end things with Nate" Dan said as they stopped running to grab some water

"So you plan to tell Blair to give up her relationship with her long time boyfriend so that she can be with you?" Carter asked

"Basically" Dan said "Is that a bad thing?" he asked

"I just think you have to have it together for when you propose this idea, because Blair doesn't strike me as a girl that will leave another port in hope for something in another" Carter said

"But she's been putting her boat in the port for quite some time now, so surely she knows what the port has to offer" Dan replied

"The boat likes to stay afloat from time to time and stop shop in the port, but its not going to stay there…it likes the floating process" Carter said

"Okay, can we lose the boat and port references. Just tell me what you think?" Dan asked

"I think you should have a plan to offer her" Carter said

"Uh, what more can I offer? I mean…" Dan began to say before Carter interrupted

"Nate is all she knows, your new. You can't just think that because you have great sex with each other that it will automatically transfer into a great relationship. Then not to mention the fact that if she chooses this path with you, there is Serena to factor in…you've got to have a plan and stop running on the romantic in yourself" Carter said as Dan took a moment to think

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask but its getting frustrating to think of her with Nate. I mean we'll be together and then she'll leave to go be with him" Dan said

"Because he's her boyfriend, you're the man on the side" Carter told him

"Well, I'm tired of being the man on the side. I just want to be the man or the guy now" Dan replied "I never planned for any of this to happen, but I have to think that I deserve something out of this as well. I hate how this all went down, but I'm not sorry for my feelings for her" he said

"And I'm not telling you to feel guilty about that, its just that here, you need to create the proposal and then present. You don't propose and present…that's a sure fire way to get a no" Carter said "So lets work on that proposal and then you present" he said as they walked towards the locker room

"She won't shut me down" Dan said "I think I have a pretty good shot, I mean…its me…..yeah, I should work on that proposal" he said

* * *

><p>Sipping on her drink, Blair did all she could to stay interested in the lunch that Lilly and Richard were hosting. It was no surprise that Lilly would make an event out of her eventful wedding that was coming up. Serena had to play hostess with her mother, but it was obvious that she just wanted the wedding to be over with so all these events involving the wedding would be over with. Able to sneak away for a moment, Serena grabbed the closest bottle of champagne and text Blair and Nate to meet her out in the terrace. At first when she had received the text, she had thought that it was a joke from her best friend seeing as her mother was present, but when she looked over to see a nearly claustrophobic Serena make an exit for the door. Excusing herself from the table, Blair quickly headed out to where Serena was with Nate following close behind. Taking a seat on the bench, Serena paced the floor back and forth just fanning herself as she just felt overwhelmed by it all and just wanted to escape being in a room full of stuffy old women. Grabbing the bottle, Nate poured glasses for the two girls as he handed them off for them to begin drinking. Getting their final sips in before Lilly began to notice they were missing, they went back inside and took their seat at Lilly's table. Luckily some of the women had gone off to look at some of the art pieces, which allowed time for them to get a moment of thought to themselves.<p>

"Did you enjoy the bottle?" Lilly asked as she looked on at all of them to let them know that she was fully aware of the fact that they were drinking

"It was the highlight of the afternoon" Serena said before she attempted to take a sip from her mother's glass, but Lilly had reacted quick enough to block her sip

"I bet it was" Lilly said slapping her hand away "Now that I have you all to myself, I actually wanted to ask the two of you something" she said turning her attention to Blair

"Should I be scared?" Blair asked

"No, its completely harmless, and since you've got a knack for public speaking" Lilly smiled

"You lost me on that note then, I hate public speaking" Nate laughed

"Guys always do" Lilly joined in "But I wanted to know if you two would act out a poem of Richard and I, when he proposed to me?" she asked

"Act?" Blair asked "That's…different" she said trying to say something nice

"I know, but I have to appease his wishes for the wedding rehearsal since he thought his proposal was so brilliant" Lilly said

"So are we doing skits through out the night then?" Nate asked "That'd be a first for the Upper Eastside to see" he teased

"I'd be the laughing stock" Lilly laughed "But basically you act out an engagement, which I'm sure will be practice for your future together and then you say something corny and your done" she said

"That was like a blow by type of deal where I'm still left wondering what is it that we're supposed to be doing" Blair said

"He's written scripts, so you'll get it before tonight" Serena said before she knocked back a glass of water in hopes that it would have been vodka

"This is still interesting" Nate laughed

"Especially the practice part" Blair chimed in

"Oh, stop. Like you two aren't going to get married one day, everyone is waiting for that proposal to come" Lilly said

"I think engagement at this age would be a little much" Nate said as he took a sip from his drink

"Engagement at this age is expected" Lilly said "Do you know how young I was in my first proposal?" she asked

"I think your not a good example for this topic" Serena joked

"Of course I am, I'm just not a good example for the making it last part" Lilly said

"To be honest, I think before I could have seen us getting engaged young, but when we broke up, I think a lot of things changed. It's like I lost the fantasy of us being forever, and now it feels like we're actually dating and getting to know each other" Blair said

"And I agree" Nate said "Blair is all I know, and I want us to be the forever relationship. I just don't want to rush us to that point" he said

"But you two haven't denied the possibility of engagement?" Lilly asked

"I haven't" Nate replied as Blair looked at him with a bit of shock on her face

"Blair?" Serena asked with a bit of a smile

"I guess" Blair said after a moment of silence came between them

"That's great, next I'll have to help you with your wedding" Serena smiled as Blair laughed nervously. Although the usual talk of wedding and bliss would have made her happy, she felt as if the walls were starting to close in on her. It was all feeling like the expectations were back again with just one conversation and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

* * *

><p>Thinking over and over in his head as to what Carter had told him, Dan began to realize the importance of this plan. A girl like Blair was used to the finer things that he clearly could never give, but she was used to one way her whole life in every aspect….so to suggest another route to her was sure to be terrifying and the dumbest thing to do. When he had first met Blair, she was the epitome of everything he hated about the Upper Eastside, but somewhere along the line, he really and genuinely started to feel for her. It began as a friendship, in which he started to see her inner beauty and strength, then it gravitated to something more for him. The essence of what he felt for her was that the basis of his feelings was the fact that there was a friendship. Throwing down his rag onto the kitchen counter, before deciding to head upstairs to her room. The whole way up, he just kept reminding himself of the key points that he needed to remember, when speaking to her. Reaching her doorway, he looked in to see that she was sitting on the floor looking through a box of pictures. Slowly entering her room, he didn't know whether she was crying or just really frustrated with how red her face looked. Looking up at him in somewhat of a shocked face, Dan was able to see that the reason she was so red was that she was wearing a facial mask.<p>

"Okay, that's a lot of red, even for you" Dan said as he slowly sat down beside her

"Shut up!" Blair said as Dan leaned forward to grab a stack of pictures to look through "Lilly wants us to be dewy fresh" she said

"Oh, that's what dewy fresh looks like…I just thought you were really mad about something or trying to be the Kool-Aid Pitcher that talks" Dan teased

"Typical guy thing to say" Blair said as she continued to go through her photos just reminiscing

"Going down memory lane, this looks very….unlike you" Dan laughed as he looked at her pictures

"Like you don't have embarrassing pictures" Blair said

"I do, I just wouldn't have them on display like this" Dan smiled "Even this young you were all designered up" he teased

"I am the daughter of Eleanor Waldorf, you do remember that tiny fact, don't you" Blair said as she looked over to see what picture he was looking at "Serena does the same pose in every picture, but it always works. I hated how she was so photogenic back then…and a little bit now" she laughed

"You aren't so bad" Dan said "So what's with the trip down memory lane?" he asked "I mean its entertaining, but you've got a reason behind this" he said

"Only the fact that I was in such a desperate mode to look through pictures that do me no justice now" Blair said

"Oh, don't be so harsh…the Halloween out fit did you justice" Dan laughed

"I was dressed as a penguin" Blair told him

"And a cute penguin at that" Dan said as he pinched her cheeks while letting out a laugh "No, but seriously…what's with the pictures?" he asked

"I don't know…I guess I just started thinking about old times, then that had me think about specific old times. Came home and remembered that those old times are in a box under my bed, which lead me to this" Blair told him

"Old times? Did something happen at lunch?" Dan asked

"It was the typical lunch, you know, with the stuffy old women and over priced food" Blair said as Dan just nodded

"That should have been your type of party then" Dan replied

"You'd think" Blair quickly replied "I just…I hate to keep going back, but…what if all I've ever be is that Blair? What if all I'll ever strive for in life is what's expected of me" she said

"And all this was brought on by old times?" Dan asked before Blair hit him on the arm

"I'm being serious" Blair said

"Look, looking at who you were in the past isn't going to dictate who you'll be in the present. You decide what you want to be, no one else can make that choice for you" Dan said

"And If I just happen to go back to that pattern?" Blair asked

"Then you go back" Dan said "Nothing was wrong with you before…I mean you were more bitchy and rude, but those are things that you've mastered upon now…so it'll be no big difference. Blair, you have bulimia, that's not some personality disorder…your still you" he said giving her nudge on her shoulder "Nothing has changed, everything has managed to stay the same" he added

"Really? So does this mean your still poor?" Blair asked trying to tease him

"I'm not poor, I'm middle class" Dan laughed

"That's what all poor people say" Blair laughed as she tossed the picture back into the pile "I've made mistakes in my life, some that no person my age should be making….but I want to be better, I want to be someone that I'd be proud of" she said

"Trust me, your someone worth being proud of" Dan said as he rested his head on the edge of her bed

"And your not saying that because…" Blair asked before he interrupted her

"No!" Dan replied "I'm not some pervert" he stated

"I'm just saying, all guys think with the same parts in the end" Blair laughed as she tried to reason her thought

"I'm not like most guys" Dan quickly noted

"I'll give you that without a sarcastic reply" Blair told him

"Because its true" Dan said

"Well, thank you…for the compliment" Blair said before Dan fell to the side and began to laugh hysterically to himself. Looking at him with much concern on her face, Blair tried to figure out what was so funny that had him crying as he laughed "What's so funny?" she asked as she hit his side

"You finally said it" Dan stated "You said it without sarcasm or waiting for me to screw up the moment…you, Blair Waldorf, thanked me" he declared

"And now I'll make a mental note to never do that again" Blair told him as he calmed down from his laughter

"I should've recorded that" Dan sighed as he sat back up "That's the highlight of my life right there" he teased

"I'm sure it probably was" Blair said "While we're on the subject of your life, how is the home front?" she asked

"The home front is actually getting better these days" Dan said strangely

"Why do you say that with much skepticism in your voice?" Blair asked noticing the tone

"Because I am skeptic" Dan said "Jenny has turned the corner and is slowly returning to who she used to be" he said

"And why does that make you skeptical?" Blair asked still confused

"Because I'm waiting for the you've been punk'd phrase to come out at me" Dan said "I mean I'm happy that she's dealing with the crap hand that we've been dealt, but I just…I just wonder if she'll ever be the same while being in the heart of the Upper Eastside" he said

"Look, she's a girl. She's going to want things, and dream to be things that she's not….that's all a part of growing up" Blair said "As long as she avoids making a sex tape, Gossip Girl, and wearing last years Chanel…then she's good" she said

"That warms my heart to know that, I'll be sure to tell her that as soon as I see her" Dan said sarcastically

"Why is it that you seem to worry more about your family than dare I say, your dad?" Blair asked "You're the kid, you shouldn't be dealing with this" she said

"We look out for each other, that's just how it is" Dan told her as she just looked at him wondering if there was more to the story than that plain and simple answer he had given her "I was there, when my mom first cheated on my dad. I remember everything about that day, that moment, how it all went down, and just how silent things were. It's like when you watch that scene in a movie where the character learns harsh truths, they have this overwhelming moment of silence but in that moment it just speaks so loudly because all the emotion is conveyed on their face. Well, that's how it was with my dad. She was his heart and soul, and by her cheating on him, she crushed all of that in him. So when they tried to pretend like things were fine, I could see that it was killing my dad…I could see that things weren't fine, but he did all he could to keep the family together. That day, he lost a piece of himself and I just swore that I would pick up the slack, do better to keep the family together until my parents figured out what they were going to do" he told her "His name was Joseph, the first guy she cheated with" he laughed to himself as Blair felt a twinge of shock come over her "Joseph, was the beginning and the end of my family" he said

"I think it took a boy from Brooklyn to help me realize that family doesn't always have a mommy and daddy together, hell it might be a daddy and boyfriend or just mommy. What family really is, are the people that know you best and love you because of it" Blair told him

"I said that?" Dan asked her with a bit of laughter

"No, I just tried to make you sound smarter than what you really are. It made me sound smart though" Blair laughed

"And there's that token sarcasm" Dan laughed "You know, I might regret saying this or pray that you never tell Carter this…but these past few months with you have been a roller coaster that has been frustrating and interesting all wrapped up into one. Even with all of that, I think you've become my semi-best friend through it all because if I didn't have you to give me the kick in the ass that I need or your harsh truths…I don't think I would have gotten through" he said

"Aww, Humphrey! I'm your semi-best friend?" Blair laughed as she asked him

"I knew when I said it that I'd regret it" Dan laughed to himself

"What exactly is a semi best friend though? I mean am I like a level below a best friend?" Blair asked

"Semi- best friend is basically an agreement between us that we have a special understanding of each other. A connection, a bond that we will never speak of beyond these walls" Dan laughed "You know, since we loath each other and all" he laughed

"Definitely have to keep that in account" Blair laughed "Lets just put this on the record…you said I speak the truth" she pointed out

"I didn't say that, I say harsh truths" Dan said

"Truth was in it, and that is what I speak" Blair replied quickly

"Okay, will it just make you happy if I say you speak the truth?" Dan asked

"Basically" Blair agreed

"You, Blair Waldorf…oh, would you look at the time" Dan began to say before he quickly got up from his seat to avoid the line she wanted to hear

"Dan!" Blair called out as she just laughed at him

"Have fun at the wedding rehearsal" Dan called out as he made his way down the stairs

* * *

><p>Finishing up his cleaning in his room, Dan looked around the room to make sure that he had grabbed everything and put things back in their place before giving it the seal of approval. Taking one ear bud out of his ear as he came out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, Dan went to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. Twisting the top off of his bottle, he wasted no time in gulping his water down as he had worked up a sweat by actually cleaning his room this time. Just as he was enjoying the ice cold water that was traveling down his throat, he could hear a knock come from the door. Throwing away his empty bottle in the trash on his way to the door, Dan opened up the door to see Carter standing on the other side. Finding it a bit surprising to see Carter at his doorstep, Dan hadn't quite found the words that would make it seem like Carter was welcomed, but by the time he did find them, Carter had all ready barged in to the loft. Closing the door behind him, Carter began to pace the floor nervously as he looked like he was trying to think of a way to tell Dan something, and by the way he was acting, it seemed like it was clearly important for Dan to know. Taking a seat on the sofa to enjoy this pacing show that he was being treated to, Dan just waited for Carter to finally stop.<p>

"Okay, I think I've figured it out" Carter said to himself before he turned to face Dan

"Please, share this thing you've figured out" Dan laughed

"So I was hanging out at Victrola…" Carter said before Dan interrupted

"Why were you hanging out at Victrola?" Dan asked surprised to hear that bit of info

"Because…I miss…I miss the twins or the quads if you want to be sexual with it" Carter reluctantly told him

"No, I think I'm fine not knowing" Dan said in response "Carry on" he told her

"Well, I was down at Victrola, watching the girls do their whole little spill on the stage….which is not something we should talk about as of now. I over heard Chuck talking on the phone with Nate" Carter said

"I'm sure that conversation must've been riveting" Dan laughed to himself

"Oh, it was" Carter told him with much emphasis "They were talking about the wedding rehearsal and I was getting bored with that topic….as would any person who's heard every little detail about Lilly's pending nuptials, so I was clearly on my way out…after Vivica Boom performed of course…" he said before Dan cut him off

"Will you get to the point?" Dan declared

"Nate's giving Blair a ring tonight!" Carter stated as Dan looked at him strangely

"What?" Dan asked

"Nate told Chuck that he was nervous about doing the whole thing, but he had to remember to give her the ring…so I'm guessing he's all nervous and all, because its not everyday a guy proposes to a girl" Carter said

"I'm…I'm…what?" Dan asked still lost in confusion by how things escalated to marriage status for Nate and Blair

"Okay, you like poems, right?" Carter asked

"Yes" Dan said as he began to look like he saw a ghost

"Roses are red, grass is green. Nate is gonna give Blair a ring" Carter said still finding Dan in a ghost like state "Okay, that didn't work. How about this?…..There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. If we don't hurry, Blair is going to be a bride" he said as he began to snap his finger to inspire him to get up and move

"But…what?" Dan asked as Carter looked at him

"Do I really need to continue on with this?" Carter asked

"I should probably run out of the door and get to the wedding rehearsal at this point, right?" Dan asked

"I think you should" Carter said before Dan quickly popped out of his seat and quickly grabbed his jacket before he ran out of the loft with Carter following behind him

* * *

><p><strong>I try to stay out your business<strong>

**But on the real you're so obvious**

**And if you keep fitting me in your plans and f-ckin up, your mans gonna catch onto us**

**That white sand surrouding usHe be handcuffing, he should work for them officers**

**If you rolling I got a spot where I can put you on this medical, and send you home doctored up**

**You wanna ride with me cause you say that he boring**

**Wake up you rollin' weed, cooking eggs in the morning**

**Aint scared to spend this money I'll make more of it**

**First you was in the sky now you say you in orbit**

Pulling up in front of the country club, the driver quickly got out of the car to tend to his passengers. Opening the door, Chuck stepped out of the car and immediately buttoned up his dress jacket before he extended his hand out to the young girl. Nervous to be back in the midst of the very girls she tried to be like and failed to convert into, Jenny looked on at the extravagant setting that had been the stage for the wedding rehearsal of the event of the year. Seeing his hand out before her, a slight smile came to her face and a sense of comfort came to her to know that he was there with her. Grabbing his hand, she finally took that leap of faith and stepped out of the car to join Chuck by his side. Noticing the rest of the guests that would attending the party, she was glad that she had taken up Katy and Isobel on their offer to buy her a dress as she felt like she at least appearance wise belonged with this group. Giving her smile, Chuck lead them to the entrance as he was more than eager to show her off. Through the crowd of people they had passed on the way in, Jenny looked up to meet his gaze as Eric had taken a moment out of talking with the group of people he was surrounded by to notice how enchanting Jenny looked. Giving her a weak smile as she always seemed to be on someone elses arm, Jenny knew that was all she could settle for at this point. Breaking away from the group that she was talking to, Blair couldn't help but notice Chuck and his date. Shaking her head in disbelief, Blair knew that she had a problem on her hands that needed to be addressed.

**No matter where I am**

**No matter where you are**

**I'll be there when its over baby**

**Cause I was there from the start**

**No matter if I'm near**

**Don't matter if your far**

**All you do is pick the phone up lady**

**And I'll be there when you call**

Making his way through the crowd, all Dan could think of was trying to find Blair before anything could happen. The moment that Carter had told him of the news, he had froze but only because he thought he had enough time to prove his point. With Nate proposing to Blair tonight, he knew that the time he thought he had was now running out and if he wanted that chance with her, then he'd have to step up to the plate. Still not quite sure what he could offer or present his proposal like Carter had said, Dan was nervous to think that Nate could end up winning her in the end. Scanning the crowd, Dan met Serena's gaze as she did all she could to be friendly towards him. They both exchanged a weak smile towards each other before he finally walked off in fear that things would get more awkward between them. Making his way through the crowd, Dan found that his timing had been put on pause once the hostess had come to the mic and requested for everyone to take their seats. Not wanting to stick out like a sore thumb in the room, Dan walked over towards Carter, who he was sure had somewhat of a plan for them to be discreet about their crashing the party.

**Whenever you need me**

**Whenever want me,You know you can call me, I'll be there shortly**

**Don't care what your friends say, cause they dont know me**

**I can be your best friend, and you be my homie**

**I aint gonna flex, I'm not gonna front**

**You know if I ball, then we all gonna stunt**

**Send her my way, she aint gotta hold up**

**Whenever you call baby I roll up**

Noticing that he was finally off to himself, Blair ended her trivial conversation with the women of the board and decided to seize this opportunity. Checking back over at the table to make sure that Serena was still sober and processing with the event, Blair made her way through the crowd. As she passed through she could hear her mother's laughter fill her eardrums as she wasn't sure was the laughter of being drunk or trying to flirt. Whenever Rivers was in town, her mother tended to be a little bit more laid back than she should and it was no secret that the other night when she came in at five in the morning that she was drunk beyond belief. She'd think to scold her mother for being so reckless, but then again she had no room to talk, when it came to stumbling in drunk. Coming up to the bar to his surprise, she ordered herself a cosmo before turning her attention to him and his vodka glass.

"What took you so long?" Chuck asked

"Do you know who is at this party? Half of the school district board members are here, so me being the braniac that I am, saw it fit to mingle with them first before dealing with your latest debacle" Blair said before the bartender handed her the drink "So let me get to my point. Chuck, really?….your screwing with her over Bart?" she asked

"What are you talking about?" Chuck asked

"Jenny Humphrey. I know that the only reason your obsessing over her is because of Joseph, also known as, Bart's creep name" Blair replied

"Took you this long, your losing your game" Chuck smirked before Blair grabbed his drink to put it down on the counter top

"They never loved each other. She was always one foot in, one foot out. He married her…" Blair said before he ripped away from her grasp

"Because of me….was that what you were going to say? I'm the mistake that drove them together" Chuck asked

"Your words, not mine" Blair said "Look, Jenny shouldn't be blamed for Alison's sins…you want retribution then take it to Hudson, but your playing games with the wrong person" she told him

"I think I know exactly, who I want to play with!" Chuck said angrily before he turned his head to look over at Jenny talking with Eric at the table "She's innocent, she's untouched, she has no clue what this world can do to her…" he began to tell her

"All the more reason to stop" Blair quickly replied

"Can't do that" Chuck smiled before he took a drink "Because I plan to destroy her life, like that bitch she calls a mother, did to mine" he said as Blair looked at him with much disgust in her face

"And Bart? What's his part in all of this?" Blair asked "Because if you'd get past your idol worship of Bart then you'd realize it takes two people to cheat, and those two people are the ones that have screwed up your life and Dan and Jenny's" she said

"I could care less about The Humphrey's" Chuck replied

"Really? Because she thinks you care" Blair questioned

"This conversation is over" Chuck quickly told her as a moment of silence came between them

"I forgot to ask, what's the big finale?….what do you have in store for little Jenny?" Blair asked

"Something she'd never see coming" Chuck replied

"Yeah, I bet. You need help Chuck, you need it badly because one of these days…these games will end badly, and we won't be able to get out of this scott free like the last" Blair told him before she began to walk away

"I got a box from Katie" Chuck mentioned before Blair stopped dead in her tracks

"That's impossible" Blair said not wanting to be in his presence any longer than need be "It's a mistake" she said

* * *

><p>Feeling as if she were going to die of boredom, Blair reached out for her not so water like drink and took a sip that seemed to sting a bit on the tongue. Shaking her head to loosen up the effects that it was having on her, Blair glanced over to the corner to have her eyes land upon Dan and Carter. Thinking that the alcohol was beginning to get to her, Blair rubbed her eyes once more before she leaned in closer to look over to see that it was in fact Dan and Carter. A look of shock came over her, but she had to remember to dial it down with all the media coverage that was in the room that night. If Eleanor caught wind that she made an ugly face while on camera's, that'd be all Eleanor needed to enroll her daughter back in to etiquette classes. Realizing that Nate was hold her hand, Blair had to think of a way to leave without making it obvious to both Serena and Nate that she was going to see Dan. Thinking to herself on how to handle this, but better yet, how to give her hand a break from Nate's. Noticing that he had caught Blair's attention, Dan quickly sent her text to meet him outside in the gazebo. Shaking her head in disbelief by the text, Blair just couldn't believe that he had expected her to just up and leave while speeches were being given about the soon to be bride and groom. Leaning over towards Blair, Serena quickly whispered in her ear about Dan's appearance. It had Blair nervous at first but when Serena had relayed her interest of finding out why he was here, it gave her a perfect out to go see as to why he was here herself. Promising to get to the bottom of this and make it back in time for her speech with Nate, Blair got up from her seat as discreet as possible before heading out to the gazebo to find Dan waiting for her.<p>

"What are you doing here Humphrey?" Blair asked "And you do not just text me while TMZ is in the crowd" she then stated

"I have to talk to you" Dan told her

"This couldn't have waited until I got home?" Blair asked

"No, because I needed to tell you before it happened" Dan said

"It? What it?" Blair asked

"The big it that….look, I care about you and I don't necessarily have the proposal that I should have to make this a bit easier on myself….but I will" Dan babbled

"What are you speaking? You just sound like a jumbled ball of nerves right now" Blair said noticing how strange he was acting

"Ball of nerves?….I am. I'm a ball of nerves because I….I think that this is special. I mean it's like egg nog on the holidays, it only happens once a year and it fits so perfectly" Dan told her

"Are you drunk?" Blair asked in confusion

"No" Dan sighed as lowered his head "I'm just not good at conveying the deep feelings" he said

"Okay, well you need to be because you've made it all but obvious that you're here and I have to go…so start conveying or else you'll be conveying to the plants in about sixty seconds" Blair told him

"Sixty seconds?" Dan asked

"Fifty now, but who's counting…forty five" Blair said as she looked on at her watch

"Ever since I met you….no, why am I making it sound so formal" Dan said as he couldn't help but scold himself

"Thirty three" Blair said

"Don't do that, I'm trying to think" Dan told her as he tried to be one with his thoughts "I should be good at this….I'm a writer. Look there comes a time when a boy and a girl…" he said before Blair interrupted

"Someone has been watching Boy meets World marathons" Blair said noticing his choice of phrase "Ten" she then told him

"You…and me. We…we're interesting and I think that…" Dan said before Blair cut him off

"Times up" Blair said before she quickly turned to walk away

"No, wait…I can speed up whatever it was I was trying to say" Dan told her as he followed behind

"I'm sure you can, but it has to wait" Blair said as she heard the applause come from inside "I have to go" she told him before she was immediately escorted in by the stage handlers, leaving Dan behind. Worrying that he completely screwed up his opportunity, Dan ran over towards the side exit that he took to get out to the gazebo before making his way back inside past security.

"And now, an interesting poem from Nathaniel Archibald and Blair Waldorf" The hostess introduced as the two walked up to the stage hand in hand. Watching their display made Dan even nervous as he felt in his gut that this was the big moment. Blair loved big moments, so why wouldn't Nate propose in this big of a moment, he thought to himself. Looking over at his friend, Carter did his best to read Dan, but he knew that he was thinking the same thing that as him. Looking over at Carter, Dan gave him a look of do anything you can to stop this. Racing in his mind to think of a way to stop Dan from losing the girl to the pompous Nate Archibald, Carter grabbed his glass and threw it on the ground and fell to the floor and agony. Everyone's attention turned towards him as he rolled around shouting out expletives.

"Son of a bitch! Who the fuck gets regular glass at a dinner party!" Carter yelled out as the security came over towards him while Dan looked on from the corner

"Sir, sir. Are you okay?" The security manager asked

"No, do I look like I'm okay!" Carter yelled, making sure to grab attention to himself and off of the stage, which he was doing a great job at "This suit is custom made from Ralph Lauren himself and now its ruined from cheap glass" he said as he was lifted to his feet "Do you know who I am? I mean do you have any idea as to who I am?" he asked angrily "I am Carter mother fucking Baizen" he said as the women in the room gasped at his language while TMZ was loving it

"Sir, are you okay?" The security manager asked

"What part of Ralph Lauren do you not understand?" Carter yelled as Lilly and Richard came up to them

"Is everything okay? This is starting to become a scene" Lilly said under her breath while trying to remain smiling as Dan walked over towards them to tend to Carter

"I think, I see blood" Carter said as he looked down at his suit while he could hear the whispers begin

"C'mon, lets go" Dan whispered to Carter as he didn't want Carter to catch the blame for him trying to help

"That's really blood" Carter said as he continued to look at the red spot on his suit

"Yes, that appears to be blood" Richard said as he leaned in to look before Carter looked up at him

"And you notice it?" Carter asked

"Yes, Carter that is blood" Lilly said becoming annoyed with the conversation

"Okay, we're sorry for the…" Dan said before Carter fainted on to the floor. Kneeling down quickly towards him, Dan checked to see if Carter was okay while everyone nearly broke their necks to see what was happening. Trying to find the hotel medical staff, Lilly and Richard tried to inquire information so that they could bring someone out to tend to Carter. Tending to his friend, Dan look down at Carter to see that he had one eye open to show that he wanted Dan to look down at the red pen that was in his pocket as he was only pretending.

* * *

><p>After the debacle with Carter, the evening had pretty much come to a halt with festivities leading straight into a run through of the wedding reception. Only the bridesmaids and groomsman were required to stay while others were able to stay behind to enjoy drinks, but since people had intended to stay for the festivities, most of the guests had decided to go home. Receiving a text from Blair to meet him in the courtyard, Dan was reluctant to know that any possible chance of Nate sneaking off to propose was slim, since she had chosen to see Dan. Deciding to wait for Blair out in the courtyard, Dan just played with his fingers to keep himself occupied. The occasional laugh came to him as he thought of Carter's desperate attempt to stop the proposal, and although he was glad for the act, he felt a little bad for Nate. Carter of course had to deal with an excuse so that he wouldn't have to actually see his doctor, but if anyone could deal with trouble it was Carter. Getting up from his seat after he grew tired of sitting, Dan began to pace the floor as he tried to get his thoughts together so that he could tell Blair how he really felt. Just as he was getting caught up with words, Blair had come out to join him in the courtyard. Turning to see her, Dan was nearly surprised to see her.<p>

"That was quick" Dan said as he looked around to see if they were alone

"Yeah, we just did the walk through of what was going to happen" Blair said

"Well, that wasn't so bad" Dan laughed nervously

"What was that tonight?" Blair quickly asked

"What do you mean?" Dan asked confused

"Carter fainting. You showing up…what was that?" Blair asked

"I just…I wanted to talk to you" Dan told her

"So you do so by crashing a party that you weren't invited to because in case you don't remember, you broke up with the brides daughter. Then you and Carter work up some little stunt, for what?" Blair asked

"Because I wanted to talk to you" Dan told her

"You've said that!" Blair said angrily "You have to give me more than that because you ruined Lilly's wedding rehearsal off of words you have yet to say" she told him "So please! Tell me what was so pressing?" she asked

"I was trying to stop you from getting engaged. Nate was supposed to propose to you tonight during your little speech together" Dan said before Blair just laughed to herself in disbelief

"And you got this info from let me guess….Carter?" Blair asked

"Yes" Dan replied "He overheard a conversation between Nate and Chuck, talking about a ring being given to you tonight" he told her

"If he would have stuck around long enough to get the correction information than he would have found out that the only reason I was getting a ring tonight was because we were acting out how Richard proposed to Lilly" Blair told him angrily as Dan just looked dumbfounded by what he was hearing

"So you were acting out getting engaged?" Dan asked

"Yes" Blair replied as a moment of silence came between them while Dan could just see the anger piling up on her face

"Blair, I'm so sorry" Dan quickly replied "I just thought that Nate and you were getting engaged, so my only thought was to stop it" he said

"By ruining a party! Do you know embarrassing that was to watch what clearly was Carter losing his mind?" Blair asked angrily "I mean you were at a social event and you did this, an event where everyone knows everyone, so not only did you embarrass yourself, you embarrassed my mother…your employer, Lilly, Serena, and me!" she yelled

"I was trying to stop you from making a mistake!" Dan yelled in response

"Well it would be my mistake to make because this just in!….Nate is my boyfriend" Blair said

"And what am I?" Dan asked "You make it so painfully obvious that Nate is the boyfriend, but yet you're with me…so I'm sorry if I can distinguish who gets your loyalty" he told her

"Don't do this to me!" Blair yelled

"No, I think I should because along the way I just thought we were gradually figuring out what we were, but I'm starting to lose the reasoning behind why I'm the guy you sleep with, and he's the guy you get engaged to" Dan said

"Because he's my boyfriend" Blair said

"The same boyfriend that cheated on you with your best friend. The same boyfriend that didn't give a damn to be there for you when you were dealing with your bulimia. The boyfriend that could care less about the fact that you revealed to the whole school that you were bulimic" Dan told her "Yeah, he's a real class act in the boyfriend department" he then said

"So what? What do you want from me?" Blair asked

"I want you to be honest with me. I want you to dump him, so I can stop losing my mind and doing stupid things like tonight!" Dan yelled

"I can't just dump him" Blair said

"Why not?" Dan asked in disbelief

"Because…I just can't" Blair said as she began to cry while Dan did his best to grasp what she was asking of him

"So let me get this straight, you want me to just be okay with the fact that your with him and me?" Dan asked "Because that sounds like what your saying" he said

"I can't just choose. I mean Nate…he's all I've ever known. He's not perfect but he knows me, and for the longest its always been us" Blair said as Dan did all that he could from not punching the nearest item to him "Then there is you, you're….you're a great guy, and you mean a lot to me" she said

"But not enough for you to walk away from Nate?" Dan asked

"I never said that" Blair cried "Why are you making things so complicated?" she asked angrily as she began to hit him while trying to control the tears that were coming down his face

"You have to choose" Dan said as he just backed away from her hits still in disbelief by what was happening "I need to know, and I'm not going to wait forever" he told her

"No, don't do this" Blair pleaded

"It's either him or me. You can't have it both ways and expect me to be okay with it!" Dan yelled

"Are you demanding this?" Blair asked angrily

"Make a choice. You have until the wedding to tell me or else I'm done" Dan told her before he turned to walk away trying to fight the tears that were coming but didn't want to give her the satisfaction, especially when he was so hurt in the moment.

"Screw you Humphrey!" Blair yelled through the tears as she just stood there watching him walk away like she had times before, Blair was determined to stand her ground and not give into his demands. She felt something for him but she questioned if she was ready to give up all that she knew for something she was unsure of. Finally storming off, not wanting to deal with it in that moment. Hearing all that he needed to, Nate came from out of the shadows just looking down from the terrace. Playing with the ring box that his parents had given him, Nate just looked down at the box before he opened it up to look down at the ring.

* * *

><p>Sitting in his limo, Chuck moved over in the seat so that he could look to see the young girl enter the building. Turning around, Jenny waved back to Chuck as all he could do was force a smile while waving back at her before she finally entered the building. Waving his hand for the driver to take off, Chuck leaned forward to grab himself a glass from the storage in the limo while he reached over to grab a bottle of whiskey. Pouring the desired amount into his glass, he put the top back on his bottle before putting it back. Taking slow sips on his drink as he laid back on his seat just enjoying the numb feeling that he was gaining from the taste of whiskey on his tongue. Pulling his wallet out, Chuck opened it up and pulled out a picture from the side slots in his wallet. Finishing off the rest of his drink, Chuck looked on at the picture of a woman holding her newborn baby boy, tracing the outline of her face, Chuck could see a look a sadness on her face that not most mothers would have had when holding their child. Then again, he understood the sadness…she was entering into a cold and lonely hell that not most could survive.<p>

**Just lay down with me before you go**

**It's the wrong thing I know**

**But I don't know when I will see you again**

**And it gets so lonely**

**You'd be be foolish if you stayed here now**

**Maybe if you leave we can work it out**

**I know the city only breaks you down**

**And it gets you lonely**

**Yeah, it's gonna get lonely**

Laying on his bed, Blair faced the window where she could see directly out into the sleepless city. She didn't know why she felt so undone, but she had chalked it up to her tiredness finally getting the best of her at the worst of times. Alls he could think about was her fight with Dan and how badly she had hurt him. She had never intended for things to get this far, but she had never intended for it to end this way. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she clenched on tight to the pillow so that he wouldn't hear her. Coming out of the bathroom, Nate came out to join her in the bed as she rolled onto her back. For a moment they just laid in silence before he finally just opened up the box and took the ring out to hold it up in the air so that she could see. Quickly sitting up in the bed, Blair looked at the ring then back at Nate in total surprise while he just smiled at her.

"We're not ready for marriage, but I hope that someday we will be" Nate told her as he pulled a strand of hair away from her face "But will you take this promise ring? Will you be mine….and only mine?" he asked her as Blair looked at the ring

**You miss the feeling when you step outside**

**And then your mind comes all untied**

**And then you open up your eyes**

**And you don't feel lonely**

**And it feels bad now but it's gonna get better**

**Someday**

Looking down at the brown substance in his glass, he swore he could see his life dwindling away in the abyss of alcohol. Raising his hand for the bartender to give him another shot of the same, he turned his chair slowly to spot a young woman off in the corner of the room. He had been eyeing her all night but he was just waiting until he was buzzed enough so that he would be out of his right mind to follow through on what he had intended to do when he came here in this first place. Downing the rest of his drink, he put down his money on the counter before signaling that he was leaving to the bartender. Heading over towards the woman in the corner, he did all he could to straighten himself up and appear as if everything was perfectly fine with him. Joel was prepared to change his luck, and by the end of the night he was hoping to change his streak. Turning her attention to him, the woman smiled pleasantly as if she was pleased with what she was saying.

"Hi" The woman said

"Hello back gorgeous" Joel smiled "What's your name?" he asked

"Why don't we start with yours?" The woman asked

"Okay, I like a woman who knows how to play the game. The name is Chuck, Chuck Bass" Joel told the woman

* * *

><p>Massaging his forehead, he looked at the young girl with frustration as she managed to take a simple situation and escalate it into something more than what it was. Figuring that he would need to take of his therapist hat for this one with the information she had just disclosed, he loosened up his tie before he got up from his seat to head over towards the sitting area where she was. Knowing that Dr. Han had reached his level of tolerance, Blair looked on squeamishly just hoping that he would stay tolerant long enough for him to give good advice that would get her out of this mess that she found herself in. Taking the seat in front of her, Dr. Han ran his hand through his hair as he simply just wanted to show her for the first time that he wasn't going to be the therapist, but someone that was going to tell her wrong from right even if she didn't want to know it.<p>

"You had an affair with Dan?" Dr. Han asked

"Why does your voice so judgmental?" Blair asked as Dr. Han just looked at her "Okay, fine. Yes, I had an affair with him" she admitted

"Why?" Dr. Han asked

"I don't know…it just happened, I never intended to but it just happened" Blair told him

"Then why were you so content on keeping the affair? when you knew that it was going to come up that he would want more" Dr. Han asked

"I don't know. I just couldn't stop it" Blair replied "I thought about it everyday but I don't know why I didn't" she said

"Do you know how many people this will hurt?" Dr. Han asked

"I'm aware of who this will hurt. I've known it from the beginning but I just can't stop it….I can't even if I wanted to" Blair said with tears welled up in her eyes

"So are you like addicted to the sneaking around? Are you trying to be something more than what you are?….I'm just trying to understand this" Dr. Han said "Because when I asked you what made you feel beautiful about yourself a couple sessions ago, I didn't mean for you to start up an affair with your best friends boyfriend" he said

"Don't you think I know that" Blair snapped at him "Look, this thing with Dan…its unexplainable, its something that….he makes me feel beautiful. He saw this beauty in me at a time that I hadn't even seen it in myself. Then it was like he made me see this beauty that I didn't know existed and I needed to keep that…" she tried to explain as tears ran down her face

"Okay, I know you never intended to hurt anyone…but this is the question you pose to yourself, do you have feeling for him?" Dr. Han asked

"Yes, I do have feelings" Blair replied

"Do you think you…you know?" Dr. Han asked

"I don't know, but I know that I need him" Blair cried "I need him, and I know I shouldn't because of Serena" she said

"I'm not talking about Serena, I'm talking about you" Dr. Han said "You have feelings for both of them, but you've got to make decision on who you want…and I think deep down you know, your just afraid to admit it to yourself" he said

"There is no possible good that could come of this. If I choose Nate, then I have to admit to the fact that I slept with Dan. If I choose Dan, then I'd be hurting Nate and Serena in the process" Blair told him

"But you know the one thing that will be accomplished in all of this?….at least you'd be honest with yourself and finally allow yourself to be happy with whomever you choose" Dr. Han told her

"Yeah, I don't think with Nate and Serena learning the truth that we'll be one big happy bunch" Blair replied

"Is it so wrong for you to be happy?" Dr. Han asked "For so long you've watched and admired other people, which has caused you to retreat within yourself and fixate what you aren't on yourself" he told her

"I'm not going to go start up again with my bulimia, if that's what you think" Blair told him

"So are you ready to make your decision?" Dr. Han asked

"Yeah, I guess…if I'm ever going to be normal and start this new me life that I want. I have to accept responsibility in this" Blair told him

"So who's it going to be, who is the semi lucky guy?" Dr. Han asked

"I've known from the start…its always been him, and I need to just finally admit this. The guy its always been, I choose…."

* * *

><p><strong>SongsLyrics Used in this Chapter:**

**Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger (yeah, I'm loving this song right now)**

**Colbie Cailat- Falling For You**

**Wiz Khalifa- Roll Up **

**Wakey! Wakey!- Almost Everything**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know your probably hating the cliffhanger but I had to. So, lets get down to our usual explanations. This chapter was more about building up to the big, big, big finale I have in store that I'm uber excited about. Dan of course in this chapter has come to the realization that Blair has to choose, and that he's tired of being the dirty little secret because I think this season has been solely about him discovering this world and realizing what it is to really feel for someone. Dan calls Blair his semi-best friend, and I think after I went back to read it, I was skeptical of using that because I wasn't quite sure they would say that, but then I felt like in some sense they would because even though they wouldn't admit it to each other, they've really helped each other through some hard times and they have an understanding of each other and how to deal with each other. Dan has practically given Blair her mother back, and that's why Eleanor has the relationship she does with Dan to where its like he's part of the family. The bulimia storyline brought about this bond that was strong for both of them and of course set the course for their feelings, so it just made sense for him to say it...yeah, I had a long time to think about it, but in that moment its just them and they're talking openly. Chuck, I've come to like him in this story because in the show he was turned into the love interest too soon in my opinion, when it was clear that he did things that made him far from that, but I think if they embraced the darkness in him then it would have made sense to see him as a love interest as he worked through it, but I wanted Chuck to be the semi villain because he has this broken and beautiful thing about him that will be fun to write for. Carter, got to love Carter, the scene where Carter causes a distraction, I actually thought of that while I was in the gym and I was like I'll do it because it helped me get through running a mile...so big ups to Carter because I was dying. Nate, there's not much to be said there. I'm feeling like I needs me some Dorota, so she'll be in the next chapter for sure because as you know Blair has made a decision and who else to discuss it with than the second mother to her. The Blair thing I want to elaborate more on because I think some might be frustrated with her, but she's dealing with her feelings for Dan and that makes her scared,while dealing with what this will do to her social circle, so she has more to lose than Dan and that makes her weary to make a clear cut decision, but the next chapter you will know who has her heart. Then there is the looming mystery of what Blair, Serena, Chuck, and Nate are all hiding that we have coming to the forefront in a big way...all I have to say is that everything will be concluded with a few cliffhangers of course because...there will be a Season Two Remix.**


	18. Much I Do Bout Nothing

**Author's Note- Sorry it took so long, but here is the final chapter of season one. I hope you enjoy. The title of season two remix is Second Time Around, I will try to post the first chapter of the season by next week, but I do have a preview for it at the bottom (thanks to a dear friend) that will hold you over until then. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to your feedback.**

**Chapter Eighteen- Much "I Do" Bout Nothing**

Throwing his towel over his shoulder, Dan surveyed the breakfast layout that the staff had cooked up as he wanted to make sure that everything was ready to go. He had never been one to stick around in the kitchen, when it came to the cooking but ever since his fight with Blair, he found doing little things around the penthouse would help him avoid Blair. She had made it perfectly clear that she was not going to give up Nate, and he wasn't exactly thrilled to watch her flaunt her relationship with Abercrombie all in his face. Dorota of course knew something was up with his weird behavior, but he just made excuses by saying that he wanted to take his job more seriously, when he said it he instantly regretted sounding like Blair. Grabbing the food, the staff immediately began to take the food out to the table. Hearing Eleanor come out of her office, Dan reluctantly made his way out of the kitchen and into the dining area to take his seat. Like clockwork, Blair came down the staircase with phone in hand and he was almost sure that she was causing damage just by each button she was pushing. Taking her seat across from Dan, Blair gave him a quick glare as he returned her glare in the same manner. Folding up her glasses to hang on her blouse, Eleanor was more than thrilled to finally sit down and have some sort of normalcy to her day before the crazy would kick in.

"Dorota, will you please ask Dan to pass the fruit?" Blair asked as she turned her attention to Dorota while Dan just laughed in disbelief that she was taking to actually ignoring him now

"Uh….sure" Dorota said a little confused by her request "Mr. Humphrey, will you please pass the fruit?" she turned to ask Dan, who handed the bowl of fruit to her

"And while Blair is chomping down on all the fruit. Dorota, will you please ask Blair to hand over the pancakes?" Dan asked Dorota just as Blair began to plop down fruit on her plate angrily

"Uh…okay" Dorota replied as she turned back to Blair "Ms. Blair, will you?…" she began to ask before Blair handed over the pancakes

"Dorota, will you please tell Dan to pass tea kettle?" Blair asked as Eleanor just looked on at the both of them strangely

"Mr. Humphrey" Dorota said as Dan handed her the tea kettle

"Will you ask Blair to?…." Dan began to ask before Eleanor interrupted

"What the hell is going on? What's with the whole using Dorota as the third party? You usually bicker and name call directly" Eleanor questioned

"Nothing is going on. I just take offense to Mr. Humphrey's rude behavior that was on display at the wedding rehearsal, that he wasn't invited to" Blair replied

"Mr. Humphrey?" Eleanor questioned "Since when do you call him that?" she asked

"I figured he should learn proper etiquette, so why not start with proper naming" Blair said

"And you? What's your reasoning for this?" Eleanor said as she turned to look at Dan

"There's no reasoning, just that your daughter is crazy" Dan replied

"Crazy? At least I'm not immature, you jackass" Blair quickly replied

"Oh, because that was a mature response" Dan then fired back

"Am I missing something?" Eleanor asked Dorota

"If you are, I'd call the police, who knows if Danny from the block has returned to old habits. I was stupid to think that he was actually a mature person, who wasn't some asinine little boy" Blair said

"Asinine? What does that even mean?" Dorota asked confused

"I apologize for what happened, but I do not apologize for what I told you….and I'm serious, I meant it" Dan told her

"There you go again, I don't take kindly to challenges!" Blair said

"Challenges? By making you choose? How is that a challenge?" Dan asked

"Who's choosing what? What were the options?" Eleanor asked as all she could do was be spectator

"Ay yi yi, it's time like this where I wish I was back in home country" Dorota said to herself as she took a seat

"You forcing me to do something is a challenge!" Blair yelled

"And you pretending like you can play people is hurtful" Dan said

"Spare me, I never once challenged you" Blair said

"What did you challenge her to do?" Eleanor declared as the two rose from their seats in a fit of anger

"Because I'm aware of how I feel, and I've made it perfectly clear. You on the other hand are so scared to make one decision because you think it will be the end to your perfect fantasy" Dan said

"Well excuse me! I thought you were understanding to the fact that I'm not ready to make life altering decisions" Blair said

"Life altering! Your joking right?" Dan asked in disbelief

"Is she joining the armed forces?" Eleanor leaned forward to ask Dorota as Dorota just shook her head

"Of course you wouldn't understand because that's just so typical male. I need time, and I will take my time because I'm not even sure I particularly like one offer I've received…its beginning to have an odor of jackass to it" Blair replied as she took her seat

"You'll get your time, up until Saturday" Dan said before he threw his napkin down "I'm leaving for school" he said before he stormed out leaving Eleanor in complete confusion

"The nerve!" Blair groaned

"Okay, usually I understand the banter because it usually involves something I'm familiar with, but that…what was that?" Eleanor asked Blair

"Just proof that he needs to be punished….I really think you should make him clean the pigeon droppings off the roof" Blair suggested

"I don't pay him for that" Eleanor replied

"Hence punishment. If Elizabeth Bathory can torture her workers, then why can't we?" Blair justified

"What she did was inhumane though" Dorota said

"But did they get the point is the real question" Blair said

"I'm not doing what that crazed bat, Elizabeth Bathory did to her workers" Eleanor said "But I do have this strange and possible telling feeling that you have something to do with his behavior…so spill" she said as she narrowed in on her daughter

"Why must I be blame for his inabilities?" Blair asked

"Because you usually are the reason for his inabilities" Dorota said "If Mr. Humphrey can't walk, its probably because you kicked him. If Mr. Humphrey can't read, it's probably because you poked him in eye. If Mr. Humphrey can't breath, it's probably because your choking him…" she said before Blair cut her off

"Okay, I get the picture" Blair stated "And, no this is not my fault…I've made it clear what I expect and he went all barbaric" she said

"With a so called challenge?….a challenge of what to be precise?" Eleanor asked

"Just a challenge" Blair replied not wanting to divulge any information

"Just any old challenge? So what, did he challenge you to never wear Marc Jacobs again or something?" Eleanor asked

"Ms. Blair would take big offense to that" Dorota said

"No, it wasn't that type of challenge. It was a challenge that was unnecessary in the moment" Blair said

"So what was it?" Eleanor asked

"I really don't feel comfortable talking about Dan without him being present, I lose the zest of my insults without him being present" Blair said as she began to realize her mother was becoming to intuitive with her

"You insult him all the time, though you've done it less lately…but you insult him all the time" Eleanor said

"You know, a challenge like….he wanted an apple, and I wanted an orange" Blair said trying to come up with an excuse

"But you like apples and oranges" Dorota said

"She likes fruit in general" Eleanor agreed

"I think I know" Dorota smiled before Eleanor and Blair turned to look at her

"What?" Eleanor asked desperately

"What could you possibly know?" Blair asked

"Just the fact that you and Mr. Humphrey have been carrying on with a secret affair" Dorota said as Eleanor reached for her chest in shock as she couldn't believe what she had just heard

"You and Daniel?" Eleanor asked

"What? Dorota!" Blair yelled

"It's true Ms. Blair, I caught the two of you" Dorota said nervously

"You and Daniel?" Eleanor said in disbelief "But you two hate each other?" she began to say

"I have to go" Blair said before she quickly rose from her seat

"You and Daniel" Eleanor kept saying

"I'm leaving!" Blair declared as she glared at the two women

"No, no, no. We can talk about this" Eleanor called out as Blair stormed over to the elevator

"Goodbye mother!" Blair yelled as she boarded the elevator

"How did I not see this? Blair and Dan. Dan and Blair. Dair for that matter" Eleanor said to herself before she looked over at Dorota "You've got to tell me everything" she told her "Is she even still a virgin?" she then asked

"Oh, Ms. Eleanor….there is lots you must know" Dorota said

* * *

><p>Taking deep breaths in and out, in and out is what he just kept telling himself as he couldn't manage to shake the argument that Blair and him had earlier that morning. It was usual for Blair to make him upset, but this time it was different between them. He second guessed his request to finally have her make a decision, but he couldn't take another day of knowing that he was boyfriend number two in the scenario. Noticing his friends sudden aggression on the soccer balls that he was firing with much anger behind it, Carter felt as if they're final workout on the field was being used for anger management if anything else. Glad that he had kicked the last ball out of the bin, Carter quickly stopped Dan from running after the others that were scattered around the field.<p>

"Okay, mind telling me what exactly went on that has caused this rage on the balls?" Carter asked as he stepped in front of him

"Nothing" Dan said as he tried to push past him

"No, no. Leave the aggression, and talk for a moment" Carter told him

"There is nothing to talk about, I'm fine" Dan said as he once again tried to get around Carter but only failed in his attempt "What?" he asked

"You tell me" Carter said "I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that it has to do with our favorite brunette" he said

"I don't want to talk about her" Dan replied angrily

"Okay, then did it have…" Carter went on to say before he was interrupted

"She can be so infuriating sometimes! I mean she thinks the whole world revolves around her and what she needs….well I have needs, and I have pride" Dan groaned

"I've always suspected that" Carter said "What'd she do now?" he asked

"She's pissed at me because we broke up the wedding rehearsal. Then she's even more upset because I told her she had until Saturday to make her decision on who she wanted to be with" Dan said

"I have you know I gave my best acting that night. Do you know how hard it is to stab and poke yourself while falling to the floor?" Carter told him "It's damn hard is all I will tell you" he said

"I know, and you did a wonderful job at that. I guess I should just realize that the doors are slowly closing on my supposed love affair" Dan said

"Or maybe it just wasn't meant to be" Carter told him "Look, girls like Serena and Blair have high expectations put on them, they're suppose to be with certain guys…the fact that your even in the running is a huge accomplishment at that" he said

"Okay, that somehow felt like a compliment with a backhand insult" Dan sighed

"You finally grew a pair of balls, and manned up….that makes me proud as is. Way to lay down the law on the evil dictator" Carter praised

"Don't call her that. This isn't funny" Dan sighed "This is my screwed up dilemma, and unfortunately for me, I have no soccer to turn to" he said

"Here's a thought, why don't you write?…soccer is over, so you need a pass time to let out the pent up frustration" Carter told him

"I don't think I can fully put out my frustrations in writing" Dan said as he walked over to grab his water bottle while Carter followed behind him

"Probably not here in the heart of Gossip Girl, which is why you should change up the scenery" Carter suggested

"Are you still on that kick about returning to Vegas?" Dan asked as he laughed

"No, I've recovered from the Fuk Me Twins. I have bigger and better plans for that department" Carter said

"You mean for summer?" Dan asked

"Yes, for summer. Everyone else is going to be frolicking about in the Hamptons, and I have managed to come up with something else" Carter said as Dan took a seat on the grass

"Is this going to be so abnormal that it will have me laughing? I really need that laugh" Dan asked

"It won't make you laugh, it will inspire you" Carter said "My parents threw a dinner party, and Rivers was a guest" he said

"Yeah, Eleanor and Rivers are trying to collaborate for the fashion show in the Hamptons" Dan said

"Well I didn't speak fashion, but I did speak working with him" Carter said

"Working? You spoke a nine to five language with him?" Dan asked

"Yes, indeedy. He was so impressed with my desire to break out of the confines that is the Upper Eastside that he hired me for the summer to sail one of his boats" Carter said

"Do you even know how to sail a boat?" Dan asked before he realized what he had even asked "Why did I even ask? Of course you do" he said

"Yes, I'm glad you caught yourself Daniel. I'm getting paid a substantial amount and he's even provided me with a meal ticket" Carter said

"When do you leave?" Dan asked

"My first destination is Florida, and that'll take a day or so… I'll be leaving out early Sunday morning, along the lines of two in the morning" Carter said

"Why so early?" Dan asked

"Because I want to be just in time for the South Beach" Carter smiled at his friend "You should really come, get out of New York and just take a break" he said

"You just want me to come because your going to be alone" Dan laughed at him "I know that trick" he said

"If you know then why won't you fall for it" Carter said "If all things work out with Blair, then you can bring her along and your first days as an actual couple will be spent on the open seas sipping on margaritas" he said

"We have yet to see if that will actually happen, but I still want to congratulate you on the great news. I'm happy to hear that your not like the many in the Upper Eastside" Dan congratulated his friend "How long will you be away?" he asked

"I'll be back by the beginning of school, but you won't have to miss me because I think you should come with" Carter said

"Yeah, me and a boat would be a dream come true. I just don't see it being my reality, my family is still on the mend and I have to be here" Dan said

"And let me guess…be here just in case you end up with a new girlfriend?" Carter asked

"Look, I don't know what's going to happen with Blair and I, but…I can't just leave. I have too many responsibilities" Dan said

"You ever think that's the problem?…..when have you ever been able to just be a kid?" Carter asked him

"I'm not a kid, I'm a teen" Dan said

"And your suppose to live a little. You act more like a old man than you do a teen, and I'd like to change that" Carter said

"Yeah, well if I get bored this summer then I'll look you up" Dan laughed

* * *

><p>With the wedding around the corner, Serena took up as much time as she could with her best friend as she found Blair to be the only sane thing in her world. Hanging out with Katy and Isobel was good and all but it just lead to the persona that their social circle had placed on her, and with her mother wedding again, she feared that the tension that was between her mother and her would come again. Blair was the only one who had seen the good and bad in Serena, but most of all she knew how to handle her to where she was responsive. Flipping through her menu, growing tired of the constant words that described the perfect dish that wouldn't live up to standards, Blair had finally narrowed on her selection. Taking a sip of her water, Serena couldn't help but see that Blair was a bit distracted ever since this morning. Things were good with her mother so it wasn't the usual Eleanor is off her rocker and is criticizing every ounce of her, so that took that option out. Finally grabbing her water, Blair began to down her water as if she thought it was her signature cosmopolitan that she usually would have.<p>

"B, is everything okay?…you seem a bit off today" Serena asked

"I'm good. I've just been thinking about my classes for next year" Blair replied

"Next year?" Serena asked with a bit of laughter "Only you would think ahead like that. As your friend, I think you need to relax and soak in some major sun this summer…all being in the Hamptons of course" she said

"I forget that Cici has made you her official sponsor for this summer. Tell me, has she all ready booked the villa for this summer?" Blair asked with a bit of a smile on her face "I've got one Vanderbilt all ready e-mailing me" she said

"See! There you go" Serena declared "Which Vanderbilt? Jeff or Bronson?" she asked

"It was of the female persuasion, but I'm glad to hear that your out on the prowl again. Which one do you prefer?" Blair asked

"Bronson is cute, but all he talks about are his cars and working out…"Serena said as she recalled her pointless conversations with Bronson

"He's got a six pack, he's damn proud of it….can you fault him for that" Blair teased as she interrupted

"Jeff, all he talk about is what he plans to invest in once he gets his trust fund. Though he was one hell of a kisser….I think I've got my winner" Serena said

"Okay, so you'll be whoring it up with Jeff this summer…" Blair stated

"Whoring is such a strong word, I'll be…losing my inhibitions with him is more favorable in my opinion" Serena said

"Well as long as you don't made another sex tape, then I'm all for losing inhibitions" Blair said "I take it this new boy search means you're over Dan?" she then asked

"Aw, your calling him Dan instead of Humpty Humphrey, just when we break up you take a liking to him…" Serena teased

"I never like Humphrey" Blair quickly replied trying to maintain her dislike of him to her friend

"Yeah, you did" Serena replied "He was different from my usual and….that's going to be a hard act to follow but a girl has to try" she told her

"Trust me, if you find one that is a smidge closer to the Upper Eastside then it will be a step up" Blair replied "Dan…Humphrey, has his moments but in the end he'll never fit in this world" she replied sadly

"Maybe not" Serena said "I just wish that I had a love like you and Nate. I wish that there was someone out there that got me like Nate gets you. You know, in Aspen….all he could talk about were the memories of your time together, and holidays spent with each others families. I want that, I want that love story" she told them

"Love story? I wouldn't go that far, but we've had our moments" Blair said

"Moments? B, you two have pages on top of pages of love and moments" Serena said

"Yes, moments. I love Nate, but he's made his mistakes as have I that weren't what I call a fairy tale moment" Blair said

"Like cheating on you with me" Serena concluded sadly as a moment of silence came between them "I know that we can never really talk about that, but I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my life making that up to you. I could have lost you….and I'm not sure I can lose you like her" she said as Blair felt tears coming on but she did all that she could to keep it together

"We're past that. I'm sure in the future, I'll do something that you might not be able to forgive" Blair said "But you're my family…above all else, you're my family…we'll always be connected" she said

"Yeah, but you'd never do to me, what I did to you" Serena said sadly

"You'd be surprised what people can do, but you hold the option of forgiveness" Blair said

"I'd be crazy to think that Dan and I were on that path, but if there was a guy that it could have happened with, I liked to think it would have been him" Serena said

"But your over him?" Blair asked with concern

"I'm beginning to be" Serena sighed "But like you said, he wouldn't fit in this world" she said

"This world…our world" Blair said as she leaned back in her chair before Serena looked around to see if anyone was looking before she reached over to the table next to them to grab the wine bottle. "Isn't it too early?" she asked

"It's twelve o' clock somewhere" Serena said as she poured some wine into Blair's glass then into hers

"Your reasoning will have to do for now" Blair said before she took a sip

"Do you ever think about her?" Serena asked after a moment of silence

"She runs across my mind, from time to time" Blair replied sadly

"Do you ever think about what it would've been?" Serena asked

"Sometimes" Blair said as she swirled the liquid in her drink around becoming lost in the liquid "She was our beginning" she replied

"Question is, will she be our end" Serena replied before she took a sip of her drink

"We can't think like that" Blair said "There is no turning back now, but we can't think like that" she told her friend

"I know that, but…how long can we keep it up? How much longer can we keep this secret?" Serena asked

* * *

><p>Abruptly opening the door, Bart Bass was more than ready to leave the Police Precinct that he had been called down to. At first he thought that Chuck had made his usual mess ups, but the fact that it was a local attack that was near Victrola still seemed to have Chuck linked to it. Following behind his father, Chuck laughed to himself as he could only imagine what his father was thinking of this latest incident that he had nothing to do with, in his mind he knew that his father would twist this around to make it seem like he had some part in it, when he was just as shocked as he was to learn of the attack. Stopping short of the main street, Bart took a moment to begin to pace as he was forming his thoughts on how he should address his son. Standing back just going through his schedule for the day in his head, Chuck knew that he was probably going to get a verbal lashing that would take up most of his morning romp time with Linda before his meeting. Loosening up his tie, Bart turned back to look at his son as he slowly approached him. Doing all that he could to wipe the smug smile off of his face as he straightened up in front of his father.<p>

"You think this is funny?" Bart asked as he got in Chuck's face "Do you think this is funny?" he asked angrily

"No" Chuck replied with a bit of laughter in his voice

"Do you think this is funny!" Bart yelled in his face as Chuck slowly backed up but Bart only got closer

"I don't think its funny….well maybe a little bit" Chuck said as he let out a slight grin before Bart pushed him to the ground

"No more Chuck. I won't take this crap anymore!" Bart yelled down at his son "You think because you have your little whore house that you can do as you please and screw the police…a good business must be conducted in a respectable manner" he told him

"It's not a whore house!" Chuck replied angrily

"You have a bunch of whore running around shaking their asses, it's a whore house" Bart said as Chuck pushed him away so that he could get up

"You'd think that, anything I do is classless and not respectable" Chuck replied

"Chuck, I've seen enough of your work to know that there is no real effort or thought put behind it…its all half assed in your pathetic attempt to show your some high roller" Bart scolded his son "You should consider yourself lucky that the girl that was attacked can barely remember a damn thing" he said angrily

"High roller? I've worked my ass off ever since I could read a performance sheet. I've spent countless summers in your offices. I know the family business better than some of your damn associates" Chuck replied in disbelief as Bart just clapped his hands to mock him

"Great job Chuck. Way to go Chuck. So proud of you Chuck. Thatta boy Chuck" Bart said as he continued to clap "Is that what you want to hear for your logged hours at the office? I was trying to show you structure" he said

"Yeah, well maybe you should have thrown in a few good jobs here and there. Maybe that would have made me the son you always wanted" Chuck said

"Oh, spare me. I don't want to hear that crap. I gave you discipline and you squander it off on a pair of breasts" Bart replied "Every advantage you have, you use it for a disadvantage" he said

"Disadvantage? I opened up my own business, and its profits are beyond projected of a first year business" Chuck replied

"All off of the Bass name" Bart replied "You've got to realize that your actions have consequences. What you do and who you associate with lead to trouble" he said

"My only friends are the one's you've known of all my life!" Chuck said

"With minus one" Bart quickly replied

"Don't throw that in my face? Look, I'm trying here. What do I have to do?" Chuck asked

"Change. Be someone else, but just change because this boy…the boy I'm looking at, he has no clue on the real world" Bart said "You may have your little business, but how you run your business is a joke…and there is only a matter of time before it blows up in your face….and I promise you, I promise you it will" he said

"That's your opinion" Chuck said

"And it's the truth. You want to know the main reason why it won't work? Why your feeble attempt to be some big boss won't work?" Bart asked

"Why?…let me know what a disappointment I am to you, I'm all ears for this" Chuck told his father

"You don't have the smarts to be a good business man, there is some capacity within you that just can't comprehend what it takes to be in this business. You don't have the will to be great in this business and in this business, being good isn't going to cut it. You've got to be great and on top of your game…and that will never happen with you" Bart replied as Chuck did all that he could not to break down in front of his father

"Is that it?" Chuck asked after a moment of silence came between them

"That's it" Bart said before he straightened himself up "If this brings about bad business to Bass Industries, then I will not hesitate to bring the board together to pull out our investment in Victrola" he said as Chuck laughed to himself

"All one thousand dollars that you have personally invested" Chuck replied

"One thousand that sparked up other investors to even give your business proposal the time of day. You forget the horse that lead you here, Bass Industries pull out and so will Worthington and everyone else. So you do whatever damage control you need, but if it gets bad then Victrola is on the chopping block" Bart said "I'll see you at the wedding, hopefully you won't be drunk when you show up" he said as he looked on at his cell phone before he walked over to the waiting town car

"Screw this!" Chuck yelled as he kicked the nearest crate next to him in a fit of rage. Taking a moment to calm down, Chuck quickly pulled his cell phone out to call up a worker at Victrola "Get me the tapes from this past weekend, I want the outside shots….I don't care how long it will take, get me the tapes or else you're fired" he threatened before hanging up.

* * *

><p><strong>Everytime I think of you<strong>

**I always catch my breath**

**I'm still standing here**

**And your miles away**

**And I wonder why you left me**

**And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight**

Looking over her dress that she was to wear at the wedding, she could only imagine the stories she would have to say after the dress came off. She had only been to one of Lilly's weddings, but it was eventful enough to know that anything could happen at this upcoming. Lilly hadn't exactly been the example of making a marriage last nor was her mother, but her continual shot at love is what made Blair wonder. It made her question if what she believed was one person, one love, one moment in time…was that all real or was that all a part of her perfect fantasy that she had built up in her mind. Grabbing the dress by the hanger, Blair went to hang up the dress in her closet before she turned back to see Dorota standing in the doorway. Usually she would carry on about her business, but Blair could see that Dorota wanted to talk. Weighing the outcome of if she were to walk away and ignore Dorota, Blair viewed it within her best interest to just sit down and talk. Patting the seat beside her on the bed, Dorota happily made her way into the room.

"Tell me about your dilemma?" Dorota asked

"There is nothing to tell, I had an affair with Dan" Blair sighed

"Was it more?" Dorota asked

"No, it was just…it was just that. It was an affair" Blair said "Things got complicated but I'm going to get it figured out" she said

"Because of challenge?" Dorota asked

"No, not because of Humphrey's weak challenge" Blair said "Because it's the right thing to do" she sighed

"Whomever you choose, he will be lucky" Dorota smiled "You're a beautiful young woman, who will be great one day" she said

"And what if…what if I make a mistake?" Blair asked

"In love…there are no mistakes, just risks" Dorota told her

**I hear your name in certain circles**

**And it always makes me smile**

**I spend my time just thinking about you**

**And it's almost driving me wild**

**But it's my heart that's begging down this long distance line tonight**

Laying in his bed, he looked over in the spot beside him as if he expected her to be there. Staring at that empty spot for what felt like hours, he just imagined what it would be like to be looking in her eyes or if a strand of hair would be crowding her face like usual. He could see her so clearly, but even in his visions of her, she had begun to fade away. Sitting up in his bed, Dan ran his hand through his hair before he turned to look out at the city lights shine so brightly from below. Quickly getting up from his bed, he ducked out of his room to poke his head in Jenny's room to see that she was fast asleep. A part of him had wished that she was still awake so that they could talk, but he would have to wait another day to discuss his dilemma with her. A smile came to his face as he was glad to have that feeling as if he could come to his sister for advice like it used to be. Making his way back to his room, Dan took a seat at his desk before resting his head on the desktop. Loving the feel of the coolness against his face, Dan began to realize that his lap top was still on. Sitting up straight so that he was focused in on the screen, immediately opening up the word document. Dan ran his hand through his hair as he began to feel a thought come into his head. Putting his hand on the home row keys, he began to put in the title that came to his head. Pulling back from the home row key, he had found his moment of progress to be another realization of what he all ready knew he was thinking about as the only thing he was capable of writing was the name Blair on his computer screen.

**And I ain't missin' you at allSince you've been gone... Away**

**I ain't missin' you**

**No matter what I might say**

Once the final bell rang for the day, students took to the hallways in celebration that the school year was finally over. Some groaned off in their little corners that they would have to endure the mundane task of getting up early to go to summer school. For Blair and her minions, the summer was only the bulk of their social calendar and everyday was sure to be filled with an appearance that needed to be made. Walking down the hallways, they never seemed to get lost in the crowd as they were more of the focal point within the crowd. Each of the girls busied themselves with texting as they walked out to the courtyards, which was normal for all of them because multitasking was something they had mastered. The closer they got to the door, the closer she knew she was getting to his locker. Making sure to remember that Nate might come out of nowhere to surprise her, she made a quick glance over towards the locker she feared the most. Putting his books in his bags so diligently, Dan turned slowly to see Blair and her minions coming down the hallway. Catching each other's gaze, Blair couldn't help but see that he wasn't his usual self…maybe her anger towards him had gone too far? She began to ask herself. Maybe she should just put him out of his misery and tell him because she was sure that once he knew then things would definitely change between them. Shaking her head of those thoughts, she convinced herself to not give in and to make him sweat it out.

* * *

><p>After spending the rest of the afternoon coordinating their arrival and departure for the wedding, Nate was finally glad that all they had left to do was just finally go to the wedding. He wasn't quite sure how he ended up being one of the groomsmen, but since Richard was new in town and worked with The Captain, he seemed to have been roped in through association. Following behind him, Blair ran her hand through her hair as she let out a slight yawn of tiredness and wanted nothing more than to just take a hot bubble bath and go straight to bed. Reaching the final step on the staircase, Nate turned to look at her before a silence filled between them while they just looked at each other. Leaning forward, Blair wrapped her arms around him as they just hugged each other for what felt like hours. Taking in her scent, Nate looked at the side of her face before he kissed the side of her face. Slowly pulling back, the two once again got lost in their gaze as they each gave off a little a laugh just as Dan stepped off the elevator. Walking so casually in to the penthouse, he was caught off guard to see the two in an embrace and it didn't take long for him to figure it out.<p>

"I should go" Nate said as he slowly backed away

"Yeah" Blair said nervously as couldn't help but look over to Dan's direction

"I'll see you" Nate said as he turned and looked at Dan "Dan" he said

"Nate" Dan replied before Nate got onto the elevator and then eventually left. Gritting his teeth, he tried not to show his disappointment but it was apparent on his face "So you've made your choice" he said as he leaned up against the doorframe

"Let's not start this" Blair sighed "I'm tired, I have a million things to do for this wedding, and I'm not focusing on this challenge you've delivered to me" she told him

"It wasn't…you know what, never mind" Dan said realizing that there was no point

"Well, since your clearly pissed and I'm in no mood to go over the saga the challenge you've delivered…I have to go to bed, I've got a long day tomorrow" Blair yawned as she headed up the stairs while Dan just shook his head in disbelief. Turning to head back to the elevator, Dan was quickly cut off by Eleanor's call from her office.

"Daniel, is that you?" Eleanor asked as he slowly turned towards her office

"Yes, its me" Dan said as he poked his head inside

"Good. I wanted to talk to you" Eleanor smiled

"Can we talk tomorrow, I…I forgot that I didn't lock up the loft when I left" Dan lied before Eleanor just gave him a look like she didn't believe him for one second

"Take a seat" Eleanor told him before he closed the door behind him and took a seat in front of her desk. "You've been acting all mopey and extra helpful around here" she said as she took her glasses off

"I've been trying to be helpful" Dan said

"Is there something going on that I don't know about?" Eleanor asked

"No, nothing as of now that you need to know about" Dan replied

"Rivers told me that you spoke with him today, has he sucked you into joining a charter team?" Eleanor asked

"He made his attempts but that wasn't my reasoning for seeing him. I had to talk to him about other matters" Dan said as Eleanor took a moment to study him in an effort to figure him out

"Is everything okay Daniel?...because I get this overwhelming feeling like something is going on with you. I guess I'm picking up on an off Humphrey connection" Eleanor told him

"Everything is fine" Dan shrugged

"So I don't need to know the fact that you and Blair have been involved over the past few months?" Eleanor asked as Dan sat in shock that she knew "Yeah, it explains a few confusing points that I had" she said

"I'm sorry. It just…it just happened and I never intended for it to get further than what it was" Dan began to babble

"I don't need to hear the details because frankly….I'm not to sure I like the idea for business reasons" Eleanor squirmed as a silence came between them "I fear this would lead to this, I fear that it will somehow have me choosing between the two of you" she said

"I don't want to come between you and Blair. If it came to that then I would never force you to do that" Dan told her "I know how much you two need each other" he sighed

"Yes, you of all people know how much….you've seen the darkness in this house and…you still manage to act like it doesn't exist" Eleanor told him

"Because I'm in no place to judge your family. I'm Dan Humphrey, the motherless child" Dan told her

"Your not motherless, she has different priorities but your not motherless" Eleanor told him

"Hence the motherless part" Dan laughed "I mean you're still here for Blair, you haven't gone anywhere….you hung in" he said

"She's plays games and puts up the walls because she has this notion that people aren't who they say they are" Eleanor said as she leaned back in her chair

"Are we talking about Blair here?" Dan asked as he began to massage his forehead "No wonder I felt a sudden headache" he sighed

"Yes, we're talking about Blair" Eleanor said

"But I thought you disapproved of our relationship?" Dan asked her

"In the business sense, but as a mother and a guide to you….I think you're a great young man, who has a lot to offer" Eleanor told him "Did I ever tell you the reason why I hired you?" she asked

"I thought you hired me because I was qualified" Dan replied

"Daniel, you're still in high school and had no job experience….does that make you highly qualified?" Eleanor asked as she gave him a look

"You Waldorf women know how to lay it on thick. So if I wasn't highly qualified then why did you hire me?" Dan asked

"I hired you because you remind me of Harold" Eleanor smiled as Dan looked at her with confusion on his face

"So you think I'm gay?" Dan asked

"No" Eleanor told him "You remind me of Harold because you have this special heart. You've got this personality that makes people feel like they're special to you, like what they say matters" he said "Harold was the only one that could reach Blair, and somehow you've managed to do that. You were the one who found out about her disorder….and there are no words that I could say that will ever show my gratitude for that" she then went on to say as she became emotional

"I only did what was the right thing to do" Dan told her "You don't owe me anything" he said

"I owe you more than you imagine because you, Daniel Humphrey, have made a big impact on my family but most of all with me" Eleanor said as tears welled up in her eyes "Losing my husband and my marriage, I felt like I lost my family but you showed me that I had lost it long before, but I still had time to get it back" she said

"I really can't let you put me on this pedal stool. I did what I thought was right, occasionally stepped over the line….but I did what I thought was right" Dan said as he sat up in his chair so that he could comfort her

"Don't give up on her" Eleanor told him "She's complicated and frustrating because…lets face it, she's me" she laughed

"It's hard to stay in the race, when I don't even feel like I'm in it to begin with. I can't compete with Nate, I never could" Dan said "They have this history that I will never be able to overcome because when she looks at him, she see's perfection. When she looks at me…I'm not quite sure what she see's" he said

"Believe it or not, you're a great guy…you just have to start believing that you're good enough, if not better" Eleanor said

"I never knew you thought so highly of me" Dan laughed

"I do, your like family to me" Eleanor smiled "You have to stop thinking that you don't deserve the best because the best is yet to come from you. I guarantee that for you" she told him

* * *

><p>Coming out of Marc Jacobs after some much needed retail therapy with all that she was dealing with. She had called up Serena to check in, but for the most part she wanted to be alone so that she could think clearly without distractions. Rack after rack she went, just looking at the same thing in different styles until she finally realized that there was no point in even buying anything new, when she was waiting for the summer lines to come out next week. Doing her usual texting as she walked towards the next store, Blair made mental notes to herself on what else she had to do for the rest of the evening before heading over to Serena's for the night. Lilly wanted all her bridesmaids over to get their glamour fest, but deep down Serena and her knew that she was just trying to do revert back to being a teenager again with the whole slumber party. Putting her phone in her purse, Blair was surprised to look up and see Jenny walking towards her. Jenny hadn't really noticed Blair with her ear buds in her ear as she was listening to music, but Blair figured that with the news swirling around, she had no other choice but to stop and talk with Jenny.<p>

"Blair, hi" Jenny replied nervously as she took the ear buds out of her ear

"Hi" Blair replied

"What are you doing?" Jenny asked "I mean, if you're willing to share that information…not that I'm trying to be nosy" she went on to babble

"I'm in need for some retail therapy, so I thought Marc Jacobs would do the trick" Blair told her "But I'm not here to make small talk, I have to discuss something with you that has been brought to my attention" she said

"I know, I know. I've cut off all contact with Isobel and Katy, and I'm not planning on sneaking my way in" Jenny quickly told her

"That's not what I'm talking about, I was fully aware of Chuck's plan…Katy has loose lips" Blair replied "I wanted to talk to you about the Worthington party. I've heard that you were attending with Chuck, which happens to be the same day of the wedding" she said

"Yeah, I mentioned that to him but he was dead set on not going to the wedding" Jenny replied

"Well the issue isn't the wedding, the issue is that you're going to the Worthington party and I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into with that" Blair said

"What do you mean? its just a party" Jenny said

"Look, in not so unsettling terms, the Worthington party is thrown by the son, its not a business meeting, its an excuse to get high and really drunk but the cops don't raid it due to the fact of it being tagged Worthington" Blair said "Chuck is not in a great place to really protect you from that" she said

"I'm not planning on doing drugs or getting drunk, I'm not that screwed up Blair" Jenny said as she laughed in disbelief that Blair thought that low of her

"And that's great, we've accomplished the full house moment, but you have no idea what you're getting yourself into with Chuck" Blair told her

"Oh my God! I'm not dating him, its just hanging out at a party" Jenny said

"Does Dan know about the two of you?" Blair then asked

"No, I think we both know how he feels about him. So to avoid a fight, I don't plan on telling him" Jenny said "Not with things getting back to normal" she said

"And if you want them to stay normal then you should avoid the party" Blair told her

"What is this really about? I mean you don't give a damn about me. You could care less what happens to me…so what is your deal?" Jenny asked

"If you're still upset about me removing you from the group then clearly you missed the point. Jenny, this world has the glitz and the glamour that is catchy to the eye, but this world has a lot of things in it that are dangerous and bad that you my dear aren't prepared for" Blair said

"Okay, the whole patronizing me needs to stop. I've followed along with your wishes but I'm not going to kiss your ass" Jenny said

"Then follow this last wish, stay away from that party" Blair said

"And if I don't?" Jenny asked

"I'm not going to threaten you because this is a rare moment, where this has nothing to do with me or any social circle. This is me giving you advice because I know Chuck, I know how he is at these parties and he won't be your knight and shining armor like you think he will. If you want to be a grown up in grown up situations then go, but you'll get some truths that your not ready for" Blair told her "Good luck, you'll need it" she said before she walked off leaving Jenny behind to wonder what caused Blair to feel protective of her all of a sudden

* * *

><p>Taking full advantage of the fact that she had two more hours until she would have leave for Serena's house, Blair just laid in her bed staring up at the ceiling, just thinking about everything and anything that came to her mind. She had known for quite some time of the guy that she wanted to be with, but with all that was going on with the wedding, she wanted to use this time to be there for Serena, and focus on nothing else until after. Moving towards the edge of her bed, Blair leaned over to grab the box full of pictures that she had stashed underneath. Flipping through the mini pictures that she had within the box, she finally stopped on a particular picture that she was looking for. Picking up the picture, she couldn't help but look at longer than need be as if she was getting lost in the moment that it was captured in. It had been the five of them in a time where things were so simple, they had screwed up parents but they all managed to survive with the help of each other. Hearing a knock come to her door, Blair quickly looked up to see Eleanor standing at her door. Letting out a sigh as she had no idea as to what would warrant her mother's presence during her normal late night working hours , Blair put the picture back in the box and leaned back so that she was sitting up in the bed to face her mother. They both looked at each other for a moment before Eleanor just smiled at her daughter, and in that moment, Blair could feel her mother's love shining through. It had been a work in progress but they were slowly starting to realize the effects they had on each other, and that they mattered to each other.<p>

"Dorota filled you in on all the details?" Blair asked

"Yes, I'm now hip to what is going on" Eleanor said as she walked over to take a seat on the edge of the bed

"Please don't say hip, that makes you sound older than what you are" Blair quickly commented

"I was trying…" Eleanor tried to reason

"Yes, but lets call it a failed attempt" Blair laughed "Thank you though" she smiled at her mother

"Lilly is probably going to have pedicures and manicures all set up for you guys" Eleanor sighed

"Facials and massages to be exact. She says its to loosen us up" Blair smiled "You should've come tonight, it would have been fun for you to get out and have a girls night" she said

"I would have liked to, but Carol is going to be there….and I don't feel like seeing that wench" Eleanor groaned as Blair just laughed

"Do you want me to take care of her? I know some juicy details about Daphne that will wipe that smug look off of her face" Blair asked

"Oh, how it scares me that your both useful and scary when you talk like that" Eleanor teased

"Hey, you raised me to be aware of all that surround you…I'm just super aware" Blair said

"I taught you that?" Eleanor asked in surprise as Blair just nodded "I'm a great mother. I mean where else would you have learned that" she laughed

"Only a successful business woman like yourself would be able to share such knowledge that lead to my reign as Queen Bee" Blair smiled

"Queen Bee….I don't think I was ever that popular in high school. I mean I was well known because of my family, but never to the point where I had the control over people like you do. You have both good and bad control, which is a fair balance, but when you speak…people listen, and that's a trait I'm proud of" Eleanor told her daughter

"Your proud of me?" Blair asked

"Yes, I'm proud of you. I've always been proud of you, even in my screwed up parenting phase" Eleanor said "We've been through a lot, and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it but to not handle it" she said

"You mean when daddy left?" Blair asked

"Yes, when daddy left and then with all those things I used to say to you" Eleanor said

"Mom, we don't need to talk about the past" Blair said "We're better now, and I don't….I don't think about the past" she told her mother

"I know, but I look to the past to see that I could've been better to you. I could've set examples for you" Eleanor said as Blair shook her head in disbelief

"Set examples? You're the person I most admire" Blair said

"What I mean are the examples that a young girl like you should have, examples in love and trust….risks" Eleanor said

"I don't think it would have stuck, I thought boys were icky when I was little and Nate had always been my boyfriend since I could remember" Blair laughed

"Yes, you're right. But there are things about love that you have yet to learn, that I hope some you will, and some you won't" Eleanor said

"Like?" Blair asked

"That with love comes trust, with trust comes understanding, with understanding comes a bond…that can never be broken" Eleanor said

"Okay, that was far more profound than I thought you would get" Blair said "Who says I'm even in love with either of them?" she asked

"You might not be, but you feel something for them that its caused you take so long to make a decision" Eleanor said "Or answer the challenge" she smiled

"I've made my decision, it's what comes after the decision is what's hard for me" Blair said

"Aw, because in the end someone will get hurt" Eleanor said

"Someone always gets hurt" Blair sighed "And I usually don't care about the whole inflicting hurt on people, but when it's people that I care about…it hurts as well" she said

"Of course it would, that means in the end you honestly did care about them" Eleanor said

"I care, I care a lot" Blair said

"No matter who you pick, I'll love you all the same" Eleanor said as Blair leaned over to hug her mother as they shared a nice moment between each other "Quick question though, are you still a virgin?" she asked

"Mom" Blair said before Eleanor let go of her

"Sorry, sorry. I just figured that I should ask or needed to ask" Eleanor said as she got up from her seat just as Blair felt a vibration come from her cell phone that let her know that she had a voicemail message.

"Yeah, well we have this level of don't ask, don't tell thing going on that I have come to enjoy. Lets stick with that" Blair replied as her mother just headed for the door

"I know, I know" Eleanor sighed as she closed the door behind her on her way out of the room as Blair reached over to grab her phone to see that she had a message from Dan. Taking a moment to think if she should listen to his message, Blair did all that she could to talk herself out of it but found her actions going against what she thought was the right thing to do. Opening the message, Blair hesitantly brought it up to her ear.

"Hey Waldorf, its…I'm sure you know by now because its probably plastered all over your phone. I would usually be at your place right now, eating up your food or bugging you in some manner…but I'm at home" Dan said as she could tell he was riddled with thoughts just by what she heard in his voice "I am at home, trying to write and for the life of me….I keep writing one thing. One thing that I don't want to write right now because its becoming painfully obvious that the one thing I keep writing is something I may never have completely" he said before he let out a deep sigh but she couldn't help but wonder what the one thing was that he spoke of "I keep writing your name. I know, its stupid and corny what I just said but its been two night now in a row, each effort that I've tried to write something remotely decent….and its about you. So, I was thinking maybe I should write about you…write about our whatever we had, then maybe I could shake whatever this is" he said as she could hear him straighten up in his bed in the back round "I can't compete with Nate, nor do I care to try because I'm not vying to be Nate number two. I can't offer you much, but I can tell you that my feelings are real for you. It's taken me some time, but my feelings for you are so real and so engrained in me. Not sure if I should even say this, but this is what I can offer you…" he said "You interrupt me a lot, but the funny thing is that I actually like it. Then there is your whole Queen Bee personification status that you have, only you would treat popularity at a high school like you were running a country" he said as he began to laugh to himself and although she could hear his self satisfaction out of mocking her, she couldn't help but role her eyes "But you make no apologies for who you are and what you believe. Of course what you believe sometimes offensive to me and my so called lower class, but your never ashamed to admit your faults in your own little ways. You're beautiful, smart, and sexy as hell….and yet you have no idea your effects on me" he told her "Also, you never share the blankets when we watch movies. You snore, whether you like to believe this or not, but you snore. Then you have this tendency to laugh like a four year old…" he said as he began to babble

"Is the whole point of this message, just to insult me?" Blair asked herself as she continued to listen

"And no, this is not a message to insult you" Dan said in his message at what felt like perfect timing to her question "I'm doing this message because….those are the reasons why you should be with me, because I love you, those are the reasons why I love you" he said as he began to babble "That was big for me, so please don't laugh at this or mock me because I don't think I could take that" he pleaded with her "I wish I could give you that time you need, well not too much time because I still need to know. So if I don't know by tomorrow then I'll know what your answer is, but if I do…and I pray that I do, we'll take one step at a time" he told her as a moment of silence came "I miss you….goodnight" he said before the message ended. Feeling as if she had become used to hearing his voice, Blair looked on at her phone wondering if there was supposed to be more, but only found that it was truly it. Now the only thing left, was her decision.

* * *

><p>It didn't take much for Chuck's father to get under his skin as only he knew how to do it so well. Most of the people that knew Chuck, knew that Bart was the key element in every decision that Chuck ever made, whether good or bad. Sometimes it'd be seen as a boy idolizing his powerful father, but then it came across as a boy that just wanted to know that he had his father's love in some sense. Ever since Chuck had picked Jenny up from her house, she could see a coldness and distance in him that made her a bit uneasy. She had known for the longest that Chuck was mature beyond his years, but she had chalked it up to him living a life, in which no wasn't said often to him and if so, he'd find a way to turn into a yes. Pulling up in front of the brick house building, Jenny looked around skeptically and began to see that they were nowhere near a wedding. Getting out the limo quickly, Chuck looked back at her to see if she was getting out, and while she still was a bit skeptical about all of this, she felt as if she had to for his sake. Looking at her try to figure this place out, Chuck had a quick smirk that came to his face at the thought of someone like Jenny thinking that she could figure him out. Although this wedding and mishaps with Victrola had seized his attention, he still remained focused on the matter at hand, but it would have to wait.<p>

"What are you looking for?" Chuck asked becoming annoyed with her constant need to survey the area

"Chuck, I thought we were going to the wedding? Its practically over by now" Jenny said

"Yeah, well there has been a change of plans" Chuck said as he reached into his coat to pull out a mini vodka

"You seriously brought your own stash? What's going on with you?" Jenny asked as she looked on at him knock back the little bottle

"Oh, don't start with that crap!" Chuck scolded her "You wanted to go to the wedding, I didn't. I have the limo, you have two feet. So if you still want to go, then by all means walk" he said as he held his hand out to point in the direction of the pavement

"So what? You just want to go straight to the party, forget the fact that your father is probably going to be pissed that you didn't show…" Jenny began to say before Chuck cut her off

"You know nothing about my father!" Chuck yelled at her "Don't you dare utter that title from your mouth, when your…." he began to say as he was more than ready to insult her mother but had enough knowledge to remember not to go there "Go home" he said as he took a moment to calm down

"I'm not leaving you here. You're clearly not in your right mind, so I'm not leaving you" Jenny told him

"You don't care about my well being because if you did then you would have slept with me. So don't act like we're best friends" Chuck told her

"So you equate friendship to sex, newsflash, I'm not like every girl who falls for your lines" Jenny told him "You're a good guy, you just have a tendency to be an ass hole" she said as all he could do was laugh

"I'm a good guy?….do you honestly believe that?" Chuck asked her "You know nothing about me, if you honestly think that" he said

"What is so wrong with you being a good guy?" Jenny asked

"Because I'm not some damn do gooder type like Danny boy. I like my alcohol, I like my whores, and you know why?" Chuck asked her as she just shook her head

"Why?" Jenny asked

"Because I can have them. I want and I get, that's my motto and I'm standing by it" Chuck said

"Yeah, well that's great to hear" Jenny said as she began to clap her hands to mock him "But this woe is me speech, its not becoming of you. Blair was right, you do change when present at a party that clearly won't have punch and cookies" she said

"Now you and Blair are tight? Tell me, what did this conversation consist of?" Chuck laughed in disbelief "Blair threw you out on your ass, and now your taking her advice. Aren't you bright?" he said

"You can insult me all you want, but don't use this party as a means to cure what is going on with you" Jenny told him

"I'm going in. Have a nice walk home" Chuck said as grew tired of her lectures. Walking over to the door, he quickly opened it up and made his way inside.

"I can't believe this!" Jenny groaned as she stomped her foot on the pavement before her attention was quickly torn away by the sounds of trash cans crashing to the floor from the alley. Knowing that she was probably safer inside with Chuck than outside, Jenny hesitantly made her way inside the building. It didn't take long for her to see Chuck doing lines of cocaine with random strangers, but all she hoped for was that he would survive the night if she were to guide him through. Going over towards where Chuck was, Jenny took a deep breath before Chuck looked up to see her coming towards him. The drugs were beginning to take its effect on him, so he was more than happy to see her. Sticking her hand out to him, Chuck happily took her hand as she lead him over to a quiet area. While Jenny and Chuck stumbled through the party, little did they know that someone familiar was watching them both as they slipped inside.

* * *

><p>Grabbing a champagne glass in passing, Serena quickly walked over to join Blair as she sat at the table looking on at the happy couple. The wedding had gone off without a hitch, and while she was happy for her mother, Serena was more thrilled that the whole things was over. Serena knew that Blair loved weddings though, there was this whole essence of that a fairytale could exist that made her so intrigued and a sucker for the romance. Noticing that Serena was enjoying the end of all things wedding related, Blair reached over to take a sip from her champagne glass as she couldn't help but feel happy that the madness was over. Looking around at the guests, Blair's eyes landed on Nate and a for a moment she gave off a weak smile as he looked back at her. Picking up on the glances that they were giving each other, Serena began to smile like a bumbling fool at the two. If there was anything that Serena wanted to do, it would be to make things right between Nate and Blair. For the longest it had killed her knowing that she was the cause of their ending, and she even felt like karma was coming back around with her romance with Dan, but if she had to endure years of bad luck in the romance department to give Blair her shot at happiness then she was happy to do so.<p>

"You made it through, unscathed. How do you feel?" Blair asked

"I'm thrilled and excited that my mother will be gone for two weeks in Brazil. Then I'm kind of bummed because I have nothing to do" Serena sighed

"Nothing to do? You have the Hamptons to get ready for and then all of summer…not to mention Jeff" Blair laughed

"Yes, my whoring it up with Jeff…how could I forget that" Serena said sarcastically "Is it wrong to kind of miss the wedding aspect of it all?" she asked

"You know my answer to that. Sitting at this table, I think I may have planned and reworked my dream wedding like ten times by now" Blair told her

"Because you love all things weddings" Serena smiled "I love that about you" she said leaning in to kiss the side of her cheek before she looked on at her watch "Wow, it's getting late" she told her

"These parties do tend to go all night, into the wee hours of the morning….I forget that sometimes" Blair replied as she swirled her drink around. Noticing the sudden change in her friend, Serena grabbed the glass from her friend and took a sip of the drink.

"You just went to a weird place, what's going on?" Serena asked as Blair took a deep breath before she turned to look at her friend. Here it was, here was a moment where they seemed to be in tune with each other.

"I forgive you" Blair told her friend "I forgive you for what happened with Nate, and I forgive you for leaving" she told her as a smile came to Serena's face

"That means a lot to me B" Serena said in a soft voice that let Blair know she was on the verge of tears "I know we've tried not to over talk it, but I feel like we're in this new place….like we're getting back to what we once were" she said as tears fell down Blair's face. Extending her hand towards her face, she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. "Sweetie, what's going on with you?" she asked

"I just…I need you to know that I do love you. I do care about you, and that I will always be there for you" Blair told her friend "Forgiveness is hard, but its something that you do because in your heart you know that person never meant to hurt you…and I just need you to remember that" she cried

"I will, I do" Serena said "If I could take back what happened with Nate, I would because its not worth losing you" she said

"Just own what you did though, if you had sex with him because you cared about him in way that you were unsure of…then just tell me that, I can forgive the truth but I can't forgive a lie" Blair said

"And it's the truth" Serena said "I had feelings for him, but after I just felt like the person I needed more…I needed you" she said as she began to cry "And now we both look like hot messes" she said as they laughed

"Clearly" Blair laughed as she wiped her mascarra "I just, I need to be honest with you about something….something that I should've been up front about all along…." she began to say before they were interrupted by one of the bridesmaids

"Oh, my God. Serena, your mother looked gorgeous today" The woman said as Serena got up to give her a quick hug

"Thank you. She'd love to hear that" Serena smiled as Blair did all she could to hide her face from the woman so that it wouldn't be so obvious that they were crying

"On the earlier guest lists it stated that you were bringing a date, what happened?" The woman asked as she was clearly referring to Dan

"Oh, he couldn't make it. He is busy, but I don't think weddings would be his deal" Serena smiled through the lie, but Blair couldn't help but feel like Serena made an effort to avoid lying

"Guys and weddings, they never go together" The woman laughed "I was looking forward to meeting him, you know with all that I've heard about him" she then said

"I'm sure" Serena said "Well, the party is going well into the morning…its barely even getting to midnight. So I'll talk to you later on" she said as she watched the woman walk off before joining Blair again "Sorry about that, she tends to be a gossip rag follower" she began to explain

"It's fine. I assumed that when she started talking about earlier guest lists" Blair said "I didn't know Dan was supposed to come with you though, I mean suits and ties were never his thing" she said

"I made those reservations when we were together" Serena replied to her question "At a time when I thought we would last" she laughed to herself

"But you broke up like a month ago, so why not change it?" Blair asked

"Because…no, its stupid. I can't, I can't say it because its stupid for me to even feel like this" Serena said

"I think I've made it clear that you can tell me anything" Blair said "Why didn't you change the reservations?" she asked

"I didn't change them because a part of me thought that we would get back together. I thought that we would be able to work things out in time for the wedding" Serena said

"So you still had hope?…I thought you were trying to get over him though" Blair asked

"Yeah, I know I told you that I was but its harder than I thought. Dan…he's not like the other guys I've dated" Serena said as Blair anxiously awaited the reasons as to why he was different for her

"What made him so special?" Blair asked as she forced a smile unsure if she really wanted to know the answer

"Isn't it obvious?" Serena asked as she expected Blair to know "I'm in love with him" she said as Blair took a moment to process this revelation as she felt more and more that she needed a drink in order to get a clear understanding

"You love him?" Blair asked as she tried to hold back the tears "That makes sense, I mean he's loved you ever since you were little. He idolized you from a far for so long. Dan and you, it just makes sense that the one guy that can make you miss him, would be the one you fall for" she said just as Bart rose from his seat and began to hit his fork up against his glass to get everyone's attention to make his speech. Still sitting speechless, Blair couldn't believe her ears but then again it was Serena that she was dealing with. Listening on to Bart's speech about love and making it last, Blair just couldn't sit here and listen on about the very declaration that Serena has said about Dan. Unable to just sit any longer, Blair quickly got up from her seat and rushed out so that she could think. Noticing her sudden departure, Nate quickly got up from his seat and went after Blair.

* * *

><p>Pacing the floor as she ran her hand through her hair, she did all that she could to calm herself down. Tears fell from her face as she found that it only seemed fitting that Serena would drop such a bomb on her at a time when she was at a cross roads in her as if she was talking to herself, she looked at the mirror in hopes that she would get a grip on the situation. She knew all along that what Dan and her had gotten would end messy, but she just never thought in depth about what this would do to the people she loved. Her desire to feel beautiful and how Dan brought that out in her at a time, where that never existed in her, Blair felt as if she was driven to do things that she probably wouldn't have, but there was a part of her that didn't regret losing her virginity to someone that made her feel special. Never once did she ask what was the sole reason why her best friend slept with her boyfriend, but she had figured that it was lingering feelings that they had for each other that drove them to take that step. With Dan, she felt as if he got her in a point where she didn't even understand herself, and by her actions that night she could understand why her friends did what they did. Blair hated that she had hurt her best friend, but most of all she hated that Serena felt guilt over something that Blair had done right back to her.<p>

"Blair, what's going on?" Nate asked as soon as he walked into the room to find her pacing the floor.

"Nothing, you know how I am at weddings" Blair said hiding her face from him as he just leaned up against the door

"Yeah, I know you love them, which is why I'm a bit concerned why you leave during the most sappy part" Nate said

"I just left because talking about love and all things happiness, it just made me realize something" Blair said before she took a deep breath before facing him

"Okay, what did you realize?" Nate asked

"I realized that I wanted this for us. I realized that I still envision us taking that step together" Blair cried "Today, I have finally come to see that my decision was right all along…" she said as she took a moment to control herself as tears streamed down her face "I choose you. It's always been you. I love you" she declared "I love you Nate Archibald" she went on to say as Nate just shook his head as he laughed to himself

"You love me?" Nate asked

"Yes, I love you" Blair replied "Always have, always will" she said as he just studied her for a second

"Well I would be happy to be with you, in fact, I dreamed about this moment for the past couple of months. I love you and you love me, but yet there is still something wrong" Nate said

"What? What could be wrong about us declaring how we feel about each other?….everyone was right, everyone that knows us was right….that's supposed to be us out there" Blair said through tears

"And years ago, I probably would have believed that" Nate sighed "But the problem with our so called declarations is that you're not in love with me" he said as he caught Blair's attention, and at this point she was nothing short of a hot mess "You're in love with Dan Humphrey" he told her

"No, I'm not in love with him…I'm not in love with him, I'm not in love with him" Blair said as she began to sob. Wrapping his arms around her as he just held her for a few moments, Blair cried as if she couldn't stop

"It's okay" Nate reassured her

"I can't love him" Blair said as she pushed away from his embrace

"Why?" Nate asked "Is he beneath you or something?" he asked

"Because I'm the girl that he cheated with on Serena. I'm the girl that punished my best friend for the same thing, but yet I did it to her. I can't love him" Blair cried

"People make mistakes, we should know all about that" Nate said

"She's in love with him!" Blair declared to him

"And so are you. Now what?" Nate asked as she took a moment to think, confused as to why he was so calm instead of furious for what he had done

"You should hate me right now. You should be furious with me" Blair told him as she leaned up against the wall

"I should be. You would think I'd be with all the hell you put me through when I was trying to make things right with you" Nate laughed "But I'm not mad at you, I could never be mad at you. I've loved you ever since I could learn how to spell the word love, so being mad at you…it's impossible in my eyes" he told her

"I never meant to, you have to believe that" Blair cried

"And I believe you" Nate told her

"But she loves him, and I have to respect that. She's my best friend, and I have to honor that" Blair said

"She's your best friend, but that doesn't mean she has claim on him. He loves you, and you love him" Nate said "That sounds like a done deal to me" he said

"How do you know if loves me?" Blair asked

"I heard the two of you arguing after the wedding rehearsal in the courtyard…you know, the not so lavish one" Nate said "Two people arguing like that only means one thing" he said

"But you gave me the ring later that night? If you knew about us…why didn't you say anything?" Blair asked

"I'm not going to lie, I still wanted you. I think the partial reason why I gave you that ring was because I wanted to win" Nate said "I wanted to be that guy for you again, I wanted to keep us" he said "But I think when you broke up with me the other night, I was more pissed than anything….but I realized that if anyone deserves to be happy, its you" he told her

"But I cheated on you. I slept with someone else while I was with you" Blair said

"I'm still dealing with that fact, but for the feel good moment that is now…I'm gracefully accepting that I have been dumped" Nate told her as he looked down at his watch "Twelve thirty, Sunday morning. You think you should start off the day by telling him how you feel?" he asked

"I have to talk to Serena" Blair said as she motioned to walk over to the door

"I think you should go after him" Nate told her

"But I should…" Blair began to say as she tried to get past him

"Blair, go after him" Nate told her once more with much emphasis before she finally just decided in that moment that this was her shot and she had to take it.

* * *

><p><strong>Notice me<strong>

**Take my hand**

**Why are we**

**Strangers when**

**Our love is strong**

**Why carry on without me?**

Running through the crowds of people that began to gather as the newly married couple began to make their way to the top of the steps, Blair quickly ran down the side steps in hopes to avoid any oncoming foot traffic. She had wanted to tell her friend the truth, but she knew that the most important thing at this moment was to tell Dan first. She'd hope that someday Serena would understand, but she was prepared for whatever outcome that may come her way. Holding up the back of her dress, Blair had half the mind to tear off the back of her dress so that she could run quicker down to the sidewalk. Finally reaching the steps, she threw up her hand to hail her driver, but with all the traffic she suspected that it might take more time than she would have thought. Desperately trying to find her town car, Blair now had gripped on to both sides of her dress as she felt the time ticking against her for some odd reason, every second began to matter to her. Spotting the frantic young woman, Henry quickly pulled up towards her before she got in. Wasting no time in telling him her desire location, Blair went through her purse to grab her phone. Going through her contact list, she immediately hit Dan's name on her list so that she could dial his number. Putting the phone up to her ear, she was shocked to hear that it went straight to voicemail.

**Everytime I try to fly**

**I fall without my wings**

**I feel so small**

**I guess I need you baby**

**And everytime I see you in my dreams**

**I see your face, it's haunting me**

**I guess I need you baby**

Entering the room that she had not too long ago seen him enter, Jenny wasn't too surprised to see Chuck passed out on the floor. Putting her purse down on the bed before going over towards him, she did all that she could to wake him up but all he could manage was a few rumblings here and there that she couldn't make out. Trying to lift him up, she found his weight to be too overpowering and too much for her small frame to handle on her own. Reaching up toward her purse, Jenny spent a few minutes trying to find her cell phone as the clutter that was becoming her purse made it more difficult to find anything these days. Finally grabbing her phone, she tried to call his driver but was finding that she couldn't pick up any signal in the warehouse building that they were in. Looking back at Chuck to access if he would wake anytime soon, Jenny put a pillow underneath his head just in case he would be out longer than anticipated, she got up from the floor so that she could go call his driver to come pick them up so they could go home. Heading towards the door, Jenny opened it up about a crack before it was immediately slammed shut. In an abrupt fashion, she was thrown against the door as she tried to fight against the sudden force that was coming at her. Fighting back all she could, the weight of the force proved to be too much yet again and before she knew it, she suffered a blow to the face. Feeling the sting of the hit, Jenny was quickly turned and thrown down on the bed. Trying once again to fight off the force, the music in the warehouse was too loud for her screams to even be heard. Hoping and praying that would somehow find the strength to fight him off of her, Jenny looked over to the side of the bed to see Chuck still unconscious. Though all hope had gone against her, she did all that she could to fight back.

**I make believe**

**That you are here**

**It's the only way**

**I see clear**

**What have I done**

**You seem to move on easy**

Standing at the top of the staircase, Serena waved her mother off as she was now being whisked off onto her honeymoon. Feeling a nudge at her side, she looked over to see Eric joining her at the top of the staircase. Usually when they were little, they'd consider this moment the beginning of hell for them with the new husband coming in, but since her return to New York, they had found a comfort in each other that made the worst of situations tolerable now. Wrapping her arm around her little brother, she pulled him close as if she were trying to protect him the fleeting danger that was nowhere in site of them in this joyous occasion. Receiving a few smiles from the women that thought they were the image of perfection, Eric and Serena faked a smile as best as they could before they busted into laughter. People to them, took them more seriously than they took themselves, and that was something they prided themselves on, that no matter how much attention the family got, they would still remain humble. Feeling a vibration come from her cell phone to let her know that she had a text, Serena let go of her embrace on her brother so that she could get her phone out of her purse. Opening up the text from the anonymous person, Serena looked a little puzzled at the message unsure as to what it meant. Looking around to see if this was some practical joke from someone she knew, Serena found that there was no one in particular that stood out.

**Anonymous: Betrayal is near you. Sometimes its in the form of a sister.**

**And everytime I try to fly**

**I fall without my wings**

**I feel so small**

**I guess I need you baby**

**And everytime I see you in my dreams**

**I see your face, you're haunting me**

**I guess I need you baby**

Hoping and praying that Chuck would somehow wake up from his deep slumber, Jenny had begun to realize that he was her only hope at this point. Giving her one final punch to the face, she had finally reached a point where she was too weak from struggling to fight back any long. Whatever happens at that point, she'd have to let happen because there was no one to rescue her. Clenching her eyes shut to fight the tears of defeat, she could hear the jingling sounds of his belt being undone along with the sounds of his zipper coming down. It didn't take long for her to realize what was to happen, tears streamed down her face as he ripped at her underwear. Feeling him put his hand around her throat, Jenny turned towards where Chuck lie as if she was trying to focus in on him rather than what was being done to her. Seeing the blood trail drip on to the sheets, the more blood she saw the more she zoned out of her reality. The shooting pains of him forcefully entering her caused her to wince in pain, but what was all ready taken from her, that hurt more than any penetration he was doing to her. Somehow in her mind she felt like if it was a stranger, then she'd be able to accept this was happening, but to have it be someone that you've interacted with, someone that you've seen and smiled at as if they were a friend…that was damaging. To Chuck, he was a problem gotten rid of. To her, he was Joel, the guy with the amazing smile.

**I may have made it rain**

**Please forgive me**

**My weakness caused you pain**

**And this song is my sorry**

**Ohhhh**

Rushing out of the car as soon as they pulled up in front of his building, Blair could only pull off of memories as to where Dan lived. He'd always mention it, whenever he'd have stuff forwarded to his house but it was only moment that she'd slightly be paying attention to him. Piecing together the rest of the four digit address that he resided, she made her way up the stairs. Relieved to see his address number, she quickly knocked on the door just wanting to see his face. Waiting for what felt like hours to her in the hallway, Rufus finally opened up the door to find the young woman standing on the other side. Inside it was pretty dark, so it was clear that she'd be waking Dan from a slumber. Looking at her strangely, Rufus made a face that made Blair think that Rufus had no clue as to why she'd be here. Through unspoken words and facial expressions, he had finally pieced together that she had no idea about Dan's whereabouts because it was clear to him that she expected Dan to be there. Running his hand through his hair, Rufus tightened up his robe as he thought of a way to tell her the news.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but I really need to talk to Dan" Blair apologized

"Dan isn't here" Rufus replied

"Is he out with Carter?" Blair asked

"Yeah, something like that. Dan is gone for the summer, he left about two hours ago" Rufus said as she looked down at her watch to see that it was two thirty in the morning

"Where did he go?" Blair asked

"He's going to Florida, but from there he said he would call to check in" Rufus told her "I'm sorry…" he said as she slowly backed away

"No, I'm sorry" Blair said giving him a forced smile as her eyes welled up with tears "Goodnight Mr. Humphrey" she said before she made her way down the stairs. With each step that she took, she felt like her body was feeling more weightless that she couldn't even manage to hold herself up. Using her hand to guide her down the hall way, she stopped for a moment before she fell to her knees. Sitting in disbelief, she couldn't believe that he was gone, just like that he was gone and she had no one to blame but herself. Putting her hand over her mouth, she did her best to muffle up her sobs as she just sat crying.

**At night I pray**

**That soon your face**

**Will fade away**

Looking out at the open seas that Carter spoke so highly of, Dan could feel the breeze pass him as they sailed. Carter stood proudly at the helm of the yacht, just guiding them through the night air. With a dimly lit light beside him, Dan couldn't help but stare out aimlessly without the same emotion that his friend had. Though he was about to embark upon a journey of a lifetime for the next two and half months, a part of him felt as if there was no happy ending for him. He thought he had meant more to her to at least warrant a phone call or some form of a let down besides the rejection that he was feeling. Many times he thought to tell her that he was leaving to some how inspire her to make a decision, but as the hours of Saturday night began to dwindle away, all hope that she would come went along with the hours. Not wanting to stick around to see the happy ending that would be of Nate and Blair, he wasted no time in getting permission from his father and then calling up Carter to let him know of his change of heart. So within a moments, there had been big changes in plans that he hoped would have ended with Blair being in his arms. It took tragedy in a writers life to evoke inspiration, and in this moment he felt like he was in that zone to embrace his light hearted tragedy of love that wasn't reciprocated. Grabbing his notebook, he quickly jotted down the title that came to mind before he looked at it. Just like that, in that moment, he had become the new author of a work in progress called "The Insider".

**And everytime I try to fly**

**I fall without my wings**

**I feel so small**

**I guess I need you baby**

**And everytime I see you in my dreams**

**I see your face, you're haunting me**

**I guess I need you baby **

Falling to the ground, Jenny let out a silent cry as the pain had just became to unbearable for her. Her body felt like needles were prickling her to the point where it was trying to draw blood, her face felt so swollen from all the punches she had taken. She was almost sure that something was wrong with her arm as after he had finished, he made sure to beat her to a bloody pulp by slamming her head up against the wall. Her vision was beyond blurry that she couldn't seem to make out where she was, but hearing the squeals of the rats running up the pipes helped her to know that she was in that alley that she had dreaded when they first came. The immediate sounds of footsteps caused her to panic, fearing that he would come back, but this time to kill her. Taking all the strength that she had to get off into the corner of the alley that she was in. Jenny felt as if there was ever a moment she could've died, it would have been those mere twenty steps that she had to turn into crawls that would have done it. Going through her purse, she pulled her cell phone out as she began to dial up the only person she could call. Rocking back in forth, letting out silent tears to herself, Jenny felt like with each ring she was losing hope until the person finally answered the phone.

"I need your help…can you come get me?" Jenny said before she broke down into tears

* * *

><p>Laying on her side, she looked out the window to see the sun shining brightly within the city. Three days had past since learning of his departure, but yet this was the first time that she had seen the sun in its entirety to know that it was even out there. If it were up to her, she'd stay like this all day until she would have to retire to the Hamptons to somehow receive some sort of joy from her summer. Hearing the sounds of glasses clinging from within the dining room area, she thought to not go down, but her mother had become more intuitive with what she was eating and if she skipped a meal, she feared that she'd be sent back immediately to the center. Reluctantly getting up from the bed, she grabbed her robe and made her way downstairs so that she could at least make her appearance. Surprised to see her daughter come sauntering in, Eleanor knew that Blair was taking the news of Dan's departure pretty hard. Taking a seat in her normal spot, Blair half expected to hear a sarcastic comment be thrown in her direction but the usual direction it would have been firing from no longer was here. Everything that she had become used to when it came to Humphrey…it no longer was there, and that in some ways became unbearable to her. Sitting in her chair, all she could do was look over at the spot that he once used to occupy so many times before.<p>

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Who is this?" Blair asked so coldly as stopped at the final step**_

_**"Blair Waldorf, the highlight of my day" Dan said sarcastically to himself after Nate made his way over to greet Blair**_

_**"This is Dan" Nate introduced to both Blair and Eleanor**_

_**"I know who he is" Blair replied coldly as she examined Dan not letting her icy stare melt not one bit causing Dan to feel more uncomfortable by the minute before Blair turned to her mother "You can't be serious? I go to school with him" she stated**_

_**"So you attend St. Jude's, that's interesting to hear" Eleanor played off her daughter's rudeness as she made her way over towards Dan to shake his hand**_

_**"As in he's the same age as I am. You can't possibly think he can handle a job like this, do you?" Blair chimed back in which only made Eleanor contort her face in manner that Nate detected and knew it was time for him to jump in and get Blair out of the way and out of the house**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"What the hell are you doing here Humphrey" Blair slurred as she stand still but found her balance a bit off**_

_**"I'm asking myself the same question" Dan said to himself as he was desperately wanting to get away from Blair in hurry as he looked on the numbers.**_

_**"Where am I?" Blair asked as she began to look around the elevator "Why are we in a box?….are we at your home?" she asked as Dan just tried to hold in his anger about the statement before the elevator door opened up**_

_**"Finally" Dan said before he tried to grab a hold of Blair but she hit his hands away from her**_

_**"Don't touch me" Blair said as she kept swatting away at his hands**_

_**"I have to get you inside, your on an elevator" Dan told her as he kept trying to grab her**_

_**"That's what you say to all the girls" Blair said as she began to hit him with her purse and he did all he could to dodge her hits**_

_**"Believe me, your not a girl I'd try that on…I'd try it on a dog before I try it on you" Dan said as he noticed the elevator doors slowly beginning to close "Blair, get off!" he whispered forcefully at her before she gave him a final whack that caused him to fall to the floor**_

_**"Screw you!" Blair yelled as the elevator doors closed on her**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Maybe you like to come home and sweat it out over homework, but I'm going to take a shower and get washed up because unlike you, I don't like to smell like I just traveled through a Mongolian meat market" Blair told him "Darota, will you please put all my calls to voicemail and if any of my minions call then give them the usual time in which they should call under call back times" she then turned to tell Darota**_

_**"It amazes me how you multitask in being evil" Dan replied as he leaned back in his chair "Is there any possible way you could actually be civil to me and not treat me like I'm trash" he said**_

_**"I really don't have the time, nor do I care what you feel….if you were smart then you would have picked up on that" Blair replied as she made her way over to the staircase**_

_**"I'm not going anywhere. I will be right here" Dan said**_

_**"I don't doubt that" Blair replied as she knew the leech would be sitting in the same position when she returned as she head up to her room**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Why not?" Blair asked to his surprise**_

_**"Uh….I don't know…. but I wish I had because even if it didn't change anything , she'd know how I felt" Dan said**_

_**"Eleanor…" Blair said before he interrupted**_

_**"Your mother. She's your mother…regardless of how you try to detach her from that role, she's still your mother and should be your mother above all else. Your not selfish for wanting that, in fact that's the one thing that we both can't buy" Dan told her**_

_**"And Serena?…" Blair asked**_

_**"I know it'd be asking a lot of you to just trust her, but on this…she's not lying to you" Dan said**_

_**"Why should I trust your word?" Blair asked him**_

_**"Because I have nothing to gain with you being hurt" Dan said "Of all the names you've called me, and the degrading comments…I'd still be sitting her…with you" he said as she just looked at him feeling the confirmation that she needed from him to know that he was being genuine**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Walking is for the common" Blair stated as they continued to wait for the elevator doors to open "Henry will be driving me to school" she said**_

_**"But we're basically leaving at the same time" Dan laughed "We might as well walk together. I'm sure your Jimmy Choos can manage a little seven minute walk" he said**_

_**"That's what you think" Blair replied**_

_**"I do think that, I know that" Dan said before the elevator doors open. Taking her foot she quickly stomped down on his foot causing him to hunch over in pain so that allowed her to walk forward to board the elevator.**_

_**"Now, we're not leaving at the same time" Blair smiled before she slipped her dark shades on her face just as the elevator doors closed on her**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Since we're both being harsh, maybe you should wake up to your reality…Nate doesn't want you" Dan said as he moved in closer towards her to grab her hand as they joined back in with everyone else "And I think…deep down you don't want it either, but you have this notion that if you date a guy like Nate then your whole image will be upheld. Well what image is more pathetic than that of someone trying to hold on to someone that doesn't want them" he sniped at he took his bow. Staring at Humphrey, surprised by his tone and sharpness, she found herself trying to control her anger and he slowly rose with a smug look on his face, she gave him a quick slap to the face**_

_**"You don't know me" Blair told him before she quickly ignored her next partner and just wanted to escape all together**_

_**"Blair. Blair. Blair" Dan called out instantly regretting the exchange between them**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"All by myself. Don't wanna live" Blair continued on with the desperate attempt to sing before Dan walked over to the stereo system and turned it off "What the hell Humphrey!" she said nearly falling off the bed but luckily Dan had caught her**_

_**"Really? Celine Dion's, All By Myself?" Dan questioned**_

_**"Yes, really" Blair replied as he couldn't help but observe the drastic change in the usually dolled up socialite**_

_**"Who knew your cheeks were so puffy, you look like a chipmunk" Dan said as he attempted to pinch her cheeks by she had slapped his hands away while all he did was laugh**_

_**"Don't touch me" Blair scoffed at him**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Children. Children. Children" Eleanor clapped at them to get their attention before they turned to look at her "Now, tell me the problem?" she asked**_

_**"Judas here…..is trying to sabotage my party" Blair stated**_

_**"Judas?" Dan said in disbelief "I'm not trying to sabotage your party, I have better things to worry about than to sabotage your party" he said**_

_**"Hmmm, let me see what registers in the realm of worry for Dan Humphrey….gee golly, I wonder if Serena still likes me" Blair imitated Dan**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"You can stop the search, I know what your looking for" Dan told her**_

_**"Sure you do" Blair replied sarcastically "I'm not in the mood for you today, so could you please just leave the way you entered" she told him as she continued to rummage through her drawers**_

_**"Your looking for you tube, the ipecac syrup. I took it" Dan said as she just glared at him**_

_**"You did what?" Blair asked**_

_**"I took the tube because I know what your using it for, and just to let you know…" Dan said before Blair tried to shove Dan out of her room**_

_**"Everyone thinks they can just make decisions for me!" Blair screamed as she pushed him**_

_**"What your doing is serious, its not something that is normal" Dan said trying to swat her hands away from his chest**_

_**"I don't give a damn about what you think! This is my life, my choices and I wish everyone would stop taking them away from me" Blair yelled at him**_

_**"I'm not trying to take your choices away, I'm trying to give you one. I'm trying to stop you from doing something that is beyond dangerous to your body" Dan replied**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Well you try being in here then? Its not all gumdrops in here where I learn and get better, regardless of what happens in here its still a struggle. This is still something I have to deal with and with the mistakes I've made….its harder than you think to just recover" Blair said**_

_**"Look, I respect the fact that your even stepping up and dealing with your problems…" Dan said before Blair interrupted**_

_**"You respect me now?" Blair asked a bit shocked that he would say that, but in some odd way she felt like it meant something to her that someone who had seen her at her darkest could still think highly of her.**_

_**"Yeah, I do respect you" Dan told her as the two just looked at each other for a moment before he finally broke eye contact with her "Maybe your probably right on that front about me not understanding you…maybe I should do more listening than talking" Dan smiled at her**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"I think… Blair, I think your beautiful" Dan said**_

_**"You don't have to say that. I know how you think of me, we make that clear to each other on a daily basis" Blair laughed**_

_**"Is it so hard for you to believe that someone might think your beautiful?" Dan asked as Blair lowered her head as if she needed to think and recall**_

_**"I can't remember the last time I was called beautiful" Blair smiled weakly as he could see the tears welled up in her eyes just trying to break free. For the life of him he couldn't understand how a girl like her could never have those words said to her. She had her moments where she was far from be approachable, but she had this essence about her that when she truly let someone in, she could be more beautiful than anything he ever knew. This was all a mind warp for him, she had to have some idea of her own beauty.**_

_**"Well you are. Your beautiful" Dan said before he leaned in to kiss her.**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Look, what happened that night was us just being in the moment. It was…it was….." Dan said trying to find the right words**_

_**"It was unique" Blair said just throwing a word out there for him**_

_**"But the fact remains the same, you and I are like oil and vinegar" Dan told her**_

_**"Democrats and Republicans" Blair joined in**_

_**"Cesium and water" Dan said as Blair just looked at him strangely**_

_**"I have chemistry test" Dan quickly replied "Point is that we don't go together" he reinforced**_

_**"Finally we agree on something" Blair smiled happily in their united front**_

_**"Yes, we do. So we can just go back to our usual banter, and semi dislike of each other" Dan proposed**_

_**"Oh, I'm all ready there. I'm seeing many things I could call you out on" Blair said**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"What did you think about that night?" Dan whispered as he took in her scent**_

_**"Nothing" Blair breathed as she rested her forehead up against the door while she could feel the tip of him taking her in "Humphrey, just go" she whimpered as he moved in closer so that his body was close to hers**_

_**"I wish I could. I want to so badly…but I can't" Dan replied as the vibration of his words up against her body sent chills down her spine**_

_**"Then open the door and go" Blair whispered finding words even harder to form**_

_**"Do you want me to go?" Dan asked as he took his hand and slowly slid it around the front of her robe as he slowly tugged on it while all she could do was look down at his slow motions**_

_**"This is wrong" Blair whimpered as she slowly turned around towards him to see that she was caught in between his arms as he slowly leaned in**_

_**"I know" Dan said before he captured her lips**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"I can't explain this, but I feel something when I'm with you. I feel these moments that makes me want to kiss you or just be near you in any way possible. It's scares me because as much I want to chalk this up to being some sexual thing, I can't stop these feelings and I'm not sure I want to…I'm not sure I can, and I've tried" Dan said as he began to pace the floor**_

_**"So what are you saying?" Blair asked**_

_**"I'm saying that the affair is over, my relationship with Serena…" Dan said before Blair put her hand to his mouth**_

_**"I don't want to know. I don't need to know where things stand with her" Blair quickly said "I know your trying to be that guy, but I don't want to know…not for tonight at least" she said feeling as if the guilt only piled on by hearing her name**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Again, the sarcasm…every time you have a moment then you just slap me with the sarcasm" Dan told her**_

_**"Look, I can't make this any more black and white for you. There is no diagnosis out there for her because what she has is called a screwed up mother and being a teenage girl in the Upper Eastside schooling system. The only cure for that is therapy and alcohol" Blair replied "So if you want to beat that, then stop chalking her problems up as some unknown medical name because it doesn't exist" she told him**_

_**"And your sure about this?" Dan asked her**_

_**"I have the boobs to prove it" Blair quickly replied**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Well actions speak louder than words" Blair replied**_

_**"And my actions once again proved that I'm still about you" Dan told her as he stared at her "You know today, you were beautiful up there. You had this essence about you that made you so regal and graceful under pressure. You've come a long way from that girl I first met, and I think that's why I was proud of you, that was why I couldn't take my eyes off of you today even though I was so pissed at you for setting me up. I get that you have your issues with Serena and still have the insecurities, but I think a long the way you got so used to people looking past you towards her, and eventually you started to look at her along with them. Your so fixated on what she has that you don't have, that you don't even see the one person that's looking at you the way they look at her. I dumped her for you, I have these feelings when it comes to you that I can't get rid of, I've tried but they won't go away" he told her as she couldn't help but have tears well up in her eyes**_

_**"Why should I believe you?" Blair asked**_

_**"Because its me" Dan told her and although it was a simple answer, it seemed to make Blair realize that the words he was saying were real as they just looked at each other.**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

_**[Flashback]**_

_**"Yeah, I guess…if I'm ever going to be normal and start this new me life that I want. I have to accept responsibility in this" Blair told him**_

_**"So who's it going to be, who is the semi lucky guy?" Dr. Han asked**_

_**"I've known from the start…its always been him, and I need to just finally admit this. The guy its always been, I choose…." Blair said before she looked at Dr. Han for some assurance that'd she be able to make it through this statement "Dan. I want to be with Dan" she said**_

_**[End of Flashback]**_

"Have you finalized your plans for the Hamptons?" Eleanor asked as Blair tore away from her trip down memory lane to turn her attention to her mother.

"I sent my itinerary off to Cici, and into your temp" Blair replied as she showed no interest in the conversation

"That's right, Cici is having Vitamin Water sponsor the white party this year. That should be fun for you girls" Eleanor said

"Its pretty much the same thing each year. Speeches, scandal, drunk escapades in the cabana, and more speeches" Blair told her mother

"Drunk escapades, huh?" Eleanor asked finding this generation stranger by the minute

"Yes, mother" Blair sighed before leaning back in the chair "Daddy is going to be coming down for a weekend while I'm in the Hamptons, so please try to arrange your schedule accordingly because I don't think I trust your temp to process schedule changes so quickly" she said

"Its not that hard. I mean Da…" Eleanor said before she quickly stopped herself once she realized the name she was about to use

"What?….you can say his name" Blair told her mother "I mean, I'm not going to ball my eyes out" she told her mother

"But wound is still fresh for you" Dorota told her

"It's been three days, I'll be able to survive" Blair replied "Besides, it was my fault that he left" she said

"How so?" Dorota asked

"I let my pride get in the way. I was upset over him demanding me to make a decision, and the truth of the matter was that I knew for the past couple of days that it was him….so its my fault, and I'm dealing" Blair told them

"You get that from me, you know" Eleanor told her daughter

"Yes, I'm fully aware of that" Blair replied

"You know, I happened to talk to Rivers yesterday. We were talking about the runway show for the Hamptons, and then he start spewing off information about Carter" Eleanor said as she seemed to catch Blair's attention once the name Carter was mentioned "He said that he had made it to Florida, and retrieved the next yacht keys. All he has to do is get it cleaned up for the Bahamas drop off" she mentioned

"The Bahamas?" Blair asked

"Yes, Rivers has done well for himself to reach that far out" Eleanor smiled at her daughter as she saw a glimmer of hope come to her face when she heard that destination "If you were to just all of sudden decided to leave earlier than intended to another location rather than the Hamptons, I would hope that you'd be safe. That's if you were to, it'd be crazy of me to just let you leave for the Bahamas without telling you be safe and check in because I'm not the type of parent that would do that" she continued on to say, making it obvious to Blair what she expected her daughter would do

"No, you'd never be that type of parent. I mean if I would happen to have packed a bag for last minute travel, I think I'd be over stepping my bounds and be far worse than you Ms. Waldorf" Dorota said as she looked at Blair

"But we're not those type of people, right?" Eleanor asked Dorota

"Right" Dorota said before both Eleanor and Dorota left the dining area to go about their respective duties of the day

"Okay, what just happened here?" Blair asked herself as she was confused with what went down. Realizing that she had little time to do that, Blair quickly got up from her seat and rushed upstairs to hop on her computer so that she could book a flight to Bahamas as soon as possible. Sitting with her lap top on her lap, she looked down the list of flights that were leaving out today until her eyes landed on a time that would be soon, like she had wanted. Just as she was about to click on the ten o'clock flight, she quickly heard a vibration come from her cell phone to let her know she had a text. Tearing away from the computer really quick, Blair grabbed her phone as she lazily flipped it open while she glanced back at her computer. Going to her messages, she opened it up to find that in that moment she just froze.

* * *

><p>Like clockwork, his curtains slowly began to open and expose him to the morning sun. Wincing as if he were a vampire, sensitive to the rays of the yellow ball of fire, Chuck slowly reached over towards his cell phone to see the time that it read. Plopping his head down in his pillow in agony that he only had a few minutes to spare before having to show at his meeting, he quickly gripped each sides of the pillow to let out a groan. Realizing that time was money and money was time, Chuck slowly sat up in his bed to begin to wake himself up. Reaching over to his nightstand to grab his glass of water that he had left for himself last night, he finished it off before placing it back in its original spot. Putting his feet over the side of the bed, Chuck took a moment to go over his schedule for the day before a fleeting thought managed to pop into his head. It had been three days, three days that he had yet to hear from Jenny. They had gone to the Worthington party together, where he pretty much used every drug they had in their to put him a coma like sleep, but when he woke she was nowhere to be found. A slight smirk came to his face as Jenny had made good on her threats to leave, and that it was a lie that she said, when she said she wanted to stay with him. He was used to it though, people always disappointed him, but he expected nothing from the daughter of a whore he began to think. Grabbing his phone, he made a quick phone call, but before he could even put the phone up against his ear, a knock came to the door. Putting the phone down on the nightstand, Chuck got up from his bed and headed over towards the door to answer. Opening the door, he was immediately rushed by a police officer and put to the ground.<p>

"What the hell!" Chuck yelled as his arms were brought behind his back as they began to cuff him

"Chuck Bass, You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?" The officer began to read him his Miranda rights

"For what! What the hell am I being arrested for?" Chuck asked as he was stood up by the other officers to face what appeared to be the lead officer

"For the rape and assault of Jenny Humphrey" The officer told him as Chuck drew a look of confusion on his face before he was quickly pulled out of the room

"What! I never…I never touched her….you've got to listen to me, I never touched her!" Chuck screamed as they literally dragged him onto the elevator

* * *

><p>As soon as she got out of the town car, she immediately waved Henry off to leave her at this location that was sent to her. Watching the car leave so that it was out of sight, Blair turned her attention back to the abandoned building and although it may have seemed like some crack house on the wrong side of town, she remembered it being so much more than that. Slowly making her way inside through the side door, she was relieved to have finally reach the door that would let her into the foyer of the building. Entering the building, she looked around nervously as if she was in a horror movie, just waiting for something to pop out at her at any moment. Just as she surveyed the area, she felt a hand come to her shoulder and without thought she quickly turned around to see Serena standing there. Looking equaling as shocked as she was, Blair quickly calmed herself down before they heard a door close coming from the other side of the room. Both girls looked across the way nervously before they saw a familiar face come towards them in the form of Nate. Each of them looked at each other skeptically as they pulled out their cell phones, wondering what this was about.<p>

"So clearly we've all been sent the same text. What is this about?" Serena asked

"I have no idea" Blair replied

"It has to be someone…someone playing a sick game on us" Nate replied

"Like who?" Serena asked

"I don't know, but Katie can't just all of sudden text beyond the grave" Nate replied

"Maybe its someone playing a game. Chuck isn't even here, so….it has to be" Serena reasoned as Blair looked on at her phone

"That's because Chuck was arrested" Blair stated as Nate and Serena looked at her phone

"What?" Nate asked

"So there goes that theory" Blair replied just as a video popped up on the wall that sent a daunting feeling through all of them. Sounds of kids laughter filled the air, as what was so simple and innocent in the video felt so eery to them all. Looking on at the person that they all at one point and time loved come to imagery, it had managed to take an effect on them that they couldn't even fathom. Hearing footsteps come from the top of the stairs, they all turned their attention from the video over to the staircase and were truly shocked by what they saw.

"Georgina" Serena uttered in disbelief

"What's up murderers?" Georgina greeted them in her usual custom way

* * *

><p><strong>MusicLyrics in this Chapter:**

**Tyler Hilton- Missing You (Phil Colins Cover)**

**Britney Spears- Everytime**

Author's Note- I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I have to say that I was really excited for this chapter because I feel like so much has gone on through the story as far as storyline wise for each of the characters, but around after Roman Holiday, I started to get an idea of how it was going to end and where I wanted to take it. Certain characters were becoming more intriguing to me, and I wanted to hit certain points with the characters while trying to keep them true to form. This story in the general, I've had so much fun writing it because I feel like I'm actually writing Gossip Girl sometimes. I'll have a certain way that I wanted to take it, but then I'll rework so that it keeps the story going for the character. I've had so much fun with this story and I'm glad that it has been well received by you guys, that it was a no brainer that I would remix the second season.

**Dair**- I know some of you might be sad/upset/bummed that they didn't get together in the end, and honestly I was originally going to go that route when I started out writing it. The more it came to the end, I think when it came to feelings wise, from loathing to friendship to feelings, Dan has been more susceptible to it. I felt like this season was in essence Dan's story when it came to the love aspect, and Blair was just slowly starting to accept the concept that she could love someone not of her social class, other than Nate, Serena's ex, and basically be in a relationship that she knew she was desired. I liked how Dan grew throughout the story, but the character I fell in love with in the writing aspect was Blair. She became my baby over the time period of writing this to where I was started saying Blair like things aloud to see if it worked before even writing it. As a character she's grown and is now starting to come into her own as a person but as a woman, and I feel like everyone has that point in their life. My favorite storyline was the bulimia storyline because I felt like I wanted and needed to see that storyline on the show, and never got it, so to be able to write that and have it received so well was an honor and made me feel good as a writer to do that and know people wanted to see it as well. I didn't put them together because I felt like Dan knew what he wanted and he was at the point that he wanted Blair, but Blair still had to take some time to get there, even in the end…I know, it sucks but I just felt like it gave me more to play with for Season Two. Don't worry it won't have the Chair essence, where they're playing games with each other rather than not being honest with each other. In the chapter I included flashbacks of Dair together throughout the story, and those were just my favorite one's that I chuckled on while reading/writing….Blair and Dan have such a funny banter, even on the show Penn/Leighton do their banter so well that you actually can see GG as comedy.

**Chuck/Jenny**- In the beginning, I was so unsure about who I wanted as a secondary couple but I knew I wanted Jenny to be that "B" storyline as they call it. I know that Jenny is not a well liked character and that's basically because how she is written on the show. I think Jenny had so much potential in the beginning to be that girl you could relate to, because she's fresh into high school and she just wants to fit in. I was her in high school (not to the full extreme but yes) I wanted to fit in, and I lost myself for a good portion of my high school days. Freshmen year, I wanted to be popular. Sophmore year, drama hit the fan and popularity became a chore. Junio year, I started to care less about it. Senior year, I didn't give a damn what people thought about me. So I was drawn to Jenny and stuck with her because I think Jenny is true to what people but what girls deal with in high school or at least me. That being said about her, I wanted to put her in a storyline that was basically "What happens when girls try to grow up too fast?"…I'm not saying they all get raped, but sometimes bad things happen that force you to grow up quicker than you want. I wanted to do the rape because I felt like Jenny had basically done her bad deeds and was losing sight of herself, then with her parents divorce it just made her act out. The rape, in my eyes will give Jenny a new canvas to really sit down and evaluate who she is and the people she surrounds herself with. I didn't want to paint Chuck as a romantic leadllike the show did because I think the dark side of him needed to be shown at first so that you could go along with him on the journey on being a better person rather than all of sudden I'm in love now so I'm going to change.

**Georgina/Katie**- GEORGINA! I was so excited about using Georgina because I'm a huge Michelle Tractenburg fan since Buffy days, and I felt like they didn't use her the right way. She was only on for three episodes, and then her send off was nothing…it last like five minutes with her whole big showdown. So I always hated that about the show. Then when it was revealed about the big secret that she had on Serena, I was beyond pissed because it was nothing. So I wanted to bring her back in a major way, with a bigger secret that will draw all four of the main characters together. Katie has been thrown around a lot over the past couple of chapter or references to a friend that has passed, so I wanted to raise the stakes with Georgina and truly make her the bitch she should have been in the beginning.

**Season Two Goodies**- **The title for the second season rewrite is Second Time Around**, so make sure you put it on alert. I'm uber excited for Season Two rewrite that I wanted to give you a little preview, but I wanted to give you a few solid points so you can have an idea of what to expect.

**Dan/Blair**- They will be a couple in this season early on in the chapters. Blair will have to deal with Serena, Georgina, and two very familiar minions that will try to seize the thrown when things go south with Serena/Blair. Dan will have a lot of pressures this season/story that will become a little too much for him to handle.

**Georgina**- She will be around longer than three chapters/episodes. In order to be a bitch, you have to make your presence felt and she will.

**Chuck/Jenny**- Jenny will be on the road to recovery, and will learn truths that will effect her and her perception on people. Chuck will work to clear his name and get Jenny the justice she deserves.

**Blair/Serena/Nate/Chuck**- Georgina will keep the drama at a constant for all of them, but remember nothing will be as it seems.

**General**- Two alliances will be formed that will shake up the Upper Eastside, betrayal will be revealed, an interest will turn to addiction,.

* * *

><p><strong>!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!SPOILERS!<strong>

**!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!SPOILERS!**

**!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!SPOILERS!**

**!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!SPOILERS!**

***************************************Season Two Preview******************************************************

Sitting at the table with the gathered guests, one more look at Georgina shamelessly flirt with board members, and she was sure that she was going to jump across the table to choke her. For the past two months, Georgina had managed to leech her way onto their Hamptons and Cape Cod excursions at their expense, with all that they were spending on Georgina, they couldn't run the risk of alerting any authorities or parents because this was there mess that they had to take care of. There was only so much wine that she could take before it would become apparent that she was drunk, so Blair had taken it upon herself to just call it an evening and return back to the villa. Looking over at Serena run her hand through her hair in controlled frustration, Blair gave Serena a look that showed she couldn't take it any longer. Throwing down her napkin onto the table, Blair had hoped that she would have gained the attention of Mr. Hawthorne, the Yale representative that she had sought out, but found his only attention had only gone to the loose women, a.k.a Georgina, and the happy couples that reminded him of his times of his belated wife, Mildred Hawthorne. Either way she considered this night a dud, and the only thing she had on her mind was to just go to bed. Opening the door out into the hallways of the villa, Blair kicked the pebbles along the way as the ocean breeze gave her soothing feeling in the summers heat. Hearing the sounds of footsteps coming towards her, she figured that it was another late night yacht excursion coming in for the evening. Looking up, she was quickly taken aback to see a familiar face looking back at her with the same shock.

"Humphrey" Blair said as his appearance nearly took her breath away with the summer look doing him justice in more ways than one.

**There's a drumming noise inside my head**  
><strong>That starts when you're around<strong>  
><strong>I swear that you could hear it<strong>  
><strong>It makes such an all mighty sound<strong>

With tears welled up in her eyes, she turned her attention from his attorney to Chuck, who had his face ducked down as if he were trying to hide. For a moment she looked at him, just trying to process what she had just been told. The naïve part of her wanted to believe that this was all a lie, but with him, anything was possible. In a sudden burst of anger and rage all boiled up into one, she got up from her seat and immediately took the very chair that she was sitting in and picked it up. Surprised by her actions, Chuck tried to rise to his feet but before he could manage to lift up, the chair went flying at the window.

"This was a game!" Jenny yelled "I was a game to you!" she screamed as the tears welled up in her eyes while all Chuck could do was search for the fitting words to say in this moment.

**There's a drumming noise inside my head**  
><strong>That throws me to the ground<strong>  
><strong>I swear that you should hear it<strong>  
><strong>It makes such an all mighty sound<strong>

Grabbing his hand, she looked on at him as all he could do was look at the hands that he had dreamed of holding for the past two months that had passed them by. Bringing his attention to her eyes, he could see her pleading and want, but he couldn't acknowledge or be that guy he used to be with her. Letting go of her embrace on him, Dan made his way past her as she did all that she could to stop him, but she knew that she had to give him that space he needed. Watching him leave like she had done time and time before, she wiped away the tears that were coming to her face. To him, she had rejected him without a care in the world to his feelings, but she would be sure to not only tell him of her attempt, but to win him over all together.

**Louder than sirens**  
><strong>Louder than bells<strong>  
><strong>Sweeter than heaven<strong>  
><strong>And hotter than hell<strong>

"Tell us what the hell happened out there!" The detective asked "What the hell happened to Katie Sparks?" he demanded as they each held firm to their statement of not knowing.

"Okay, that's enough. You will not speak to my clients in that manner" Darren Kasgrove, their attorney, said as he jumped to their defense

"They're hiding something, and I will find out. Too many rich kids think that they can do as they please without consequence, but I guarantee I will figure it out!" The detective declared "The buck stops here" he told them

"Then stop wasting your times with accusations and find out who did this rather than blaming my clients" Darren replied angrily

"I don't know what you promised the sister, but I will find out. I promise you that" The detective sneered as he looked on at the four teens sit as if they were untouchable in all of this

"Georgina Sparks told the truth, nothing was negotiated on my clients behalf, so once again the accusations have to stop" Darren told him**  
><strong>

**I ran to a tower where the church bells chime**  
><strong>I hoped that they would clear my mind<strong>  
><strong>They left a ringing in my ear<strong>  
><strong>But that drum's still beating loud and clear<strong>

It all felt so surreal to all of them, but yet it felt like with the way things were heading that they would somehow end up back here. To the four of them, they had been here once before but to be back on this occasion just made it more difficult with the ensuing case that was brought against. Dan, Blair, Jenny, Serena, Nate, Carter, and Chuck all sat with heavy hearts as the essence of black spilled over into the clothing that they wore to show mourning, but to the days they had left behind. Unable to sit still in his chair

**Louder than sirens**  
><strong>Louder than bells<strong>  
><strong>Sweeter than heaven<strong>  
><strong>And hotter than hell<strong>

Sitting in the school library, Eric looked around suspiciously feeling like it was a practical joke that was being played on him. Looking on at the young boy squirm around in his seat like he was thinking that he was on an episode of punk'd, Carter just laughed as he was nowhere close to playing a cruel joke on someone that could be valuable to him. Pulling out an envelope, he placed it on the table to show that he was playing with him and that he'd be good on his word. Grabbing the envelope, Eric looked through to see that it was over two thousand dollars worth of cash in it.

"And you're serious?…you want my help?" Eric asked him still in a wave of shock

"I need a guy like you on my team" Carter said

"And what? it's a split all the way around?" Eric asked

"You do your part, and you get your cut of the action" Carter smiled

**Louder than sirens**  
><strong>Louder than bells<strong>  
><strong>Sweeter than heaven<strong>  
><strong>And hotter than hell<strong>

Gripping on to the side of the sink, Jenny did all that she could to build herself up to take on the image that she had now taken on. Taking deep breaths in and out, she thought that she was ready for this step but she found that the weight of it all was starting to take over and she wasn't quite sure if she could take this on. Finally just taking a leap of faith that she could do this, Jenny looked up in the mirror and seemed to be more shocked and horrified than anything by what she saw. In a rush, it all started to come back to her like it had hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Please stop!" Jenny cried out "Stop, I won't tell anyone…just please stop" she sobbed

**Louder than sirens**  
><strong>Louder than bells<strong>  
><strong>Sweeter than heaven<strong>  
><strong>And hotter than hell<strong>

Like two armies meeting engaging in negotiation talks for the first time, Blair and her minions stood on one side, while Penelope and Hazel stood on the opposing side with their own minions gathered on the other side. Prada, Chloe, and Chanel was at a full supply between all of the girls as they engaged in their stand off. Finding this display of bravery a bit amusing, Blair could only think of the ways she wanted to show who reigned supreme at the top.

"I suggest you disperse your little after school club, and leave the social rank as it is" Blair told Penelope and Hazel

"Uh, I think its about to get interesting" Hazel smiled as she pointed over in Dan's direction. Slowly looking over at her shoulder, Blair couldn't help but stare at him and wonder what their game was going to be. Seeing that they were getting Blair's full attention, Penelope and Hazel moved in close enough so that Blair could hear them fully as her gaze still was upon Dan.

"You see with Daniel Humphrey making our boys soccer team relevant again, that will not only put him on the social ranking list…but it makes him a runner up, if not a sure fire bet to claim the top spot for the boys" Penelope said

"And with Serena relinquishing her claim on him, that just about means Danny boy is up for grabs, and is in desperate need of a girl on his arm" Hazel smiled as Blair quickly turned to face them

"Looks like Brooklyn is making a comeback" Penelope laughed

**As I move my feet towards your body**  
><strong>I can hear this beat it fills my head up<strong>  
><strong>And gets louder and louder<strong>  
><strong>It fills my head up and gets louder and louder<strong>

"You shouldn't even be alive" Dan growled as he pinned Chuck up against the locker while Nate did all that he could to pull Dan off of Chuck "You raped my sister! You raped my baby sister!" he yelled as Chuck began to lose consciousness

"Dan, let him go. He's not breathing!" Blair said as she tugged on his arm

"No, this bastard gets what he deserves!" Dan said before he pulled away from her embrace to punch Chuck in the stomach

**I run to the river and dive straight in**  
><strong>I pray that the water will drown out the din<strong>  
><strong>But as the water fills my mouth<strong>  
><strong>It couldn't wash the echoes out<strong>  
><strong>But as the water fills my mouth<strong>  
><strong>It couldn't wash the echoes out<strong>

"You guys walk around like you run the damn city, well now, I run you" Georgina told them as she leaned back in her chair with a bit of a smirk on her face

"You want money, you'll get double. You need a place, I will set you up….but you will only make this worse for yourself by staying in town" Serena told her

"No, I don't want to leave. I want to stay. I want to stay and make your lives a living hell….you know why?" Georgina said before she asked the million dollar question

"Why? Why Georgina, do you want to stay in a place where not even your family wants you?" Blair asked with sarcasm in her voice

"Because I'm going to have fun ruining each of you, one by one. You forget that I know you better than anyone else, I know your secrets…I know where you hid the skeletons or should I say Katie" Georgina smiled at them "So as for family, you guys are my new family….and I have to say, its good to be home" she told them as they all looked at each other.

**I swallow the sound and it swallows me whole**  
><strong>Till there's nothing left inside my soul<strong>  
><strong>As empty as that beating drum<strong>  
><strong>But the sound has just begun<strong>

"I love money. If I could, I would have sex with money if it was possible" Carter said

"Oh, please don't say that" Eric said as he hung his head down

**As I move my feet towards your body**  
><strong>I can hear this beat it fills my head up<strong>  
><strong>And gets louder and louder<strong>  
><strong>It fills my head up and gets louder and louder<strong>

"You son of a bitch!" Chuck said as he tried to leap across the table towards Joel

"You attack me, and I attack back. Face it, you screwed up….someone finally has taken the great Chuck Bass down" Joel yelled at him, showing no signs of backing down from Chuck

"I will make it my mission to destroy you" Chuck sneered as he tried to break free from the hands that were stopping him

"Bring it on" Joel smiled in a sadistic manner

**There's a drumming noise inside my head**  
><strong>That starts when you're around<strong>  
><strong>I swear that you could hear it<strong>  
><strong>It makes such an all mighty sound<strong>

Pinning her up against the wall, they feverishly began to tear away at each others clothing. Deepening the kiss as he relieved himself of his shirt, Dan leaned down to pick up her small frame as she wrapped her legs around his waste. Pulling the shirt over her head, Blair took a moment to turn the table on him as she now had him pinned up against the door. He wasn't quite sure if this was pure desire that he was acting on or just hormones that had taken him over, but all he knew in that moment that once they had started, he couldn't go back now. Pulling her back into a kiss as he began to tug at his belt buckle, they both slowly backed over towards the bed before he fell on top of her. Looking him dead in the eyes, she used her free hand to look down as she pulled down her underwear. Turning her attention back to him, Dan saw the lacy black underwear fall to the floor and he knew that this was happening, it was going to happen between them. Breaking away from the kiss, Blair looked up at him as he began to wonder why she stopped.

"Three words. Eight letters. Say it, and I'm yours" Blair told him as he looked her dead in the eyes.

**There's a drumming noise inside my head**  
><strong>That starts when you're around<strong>  
><strong>I swear that you could hear it<strong>  
><strong>It makes such an all mighty sound<strong>

"I just want my life back" Jenny cried "Because this nightmare that I'm in is not life" she sobbed

"And I will do everything in my power to help you get that back, but you've got to step back from the ledge" Chuck said as he inched slowly towards her

"You did this, you put me in this hell!" Jenny yelled

"And now I want to get you out, so please…" Chuck began to yell before she slipped off of the ledge and without thinking Chuck jumped in after her.

**Louder than sirens**  
><strong>Louder than bells<strong>  
><strong>Sweeter than heaven<strong>  
><strong>And hotter than hell<strong>

"I really need you to come through for me tonight" Carter pleaded with Dan as he hunched over to get some air while taking squirts of water from the water boy.

"Why?" Dan asked as he watched the referee's check the opposing teams sides to give the coaches warnings to keep the players under control

"Because I sort of better fifty g's on this game" Carter reluctantly admitted

"What?" Dan asked as he rose to his feet in disbelief

**Louder than sirens**  
><strong>Louder than bells<strong>  
><strong>Sweeter than heaven<strong>  
><strong>And hotter than hell<strong>

All eyes had turned to the two girls as it was becoming a classic showdown between the two respective women. "Did you or did you not, sleep with Dan?" Serena asked angrily as she moved in closer towards Blair, who was not backing down from the blonde.

"Yes" Blair answered after a moment of silence came between them. Standing firmly by her words, Serena quickly reached out to slap Blair across the face, causing the crowd to gasp at what they were seeing. Sitting entertained, Georgina took a sip of her champagne with pure delight by what she was seeing.

"You and me" Serena said in a stern voice with tears welled up in her eyes "We're done" she told her friend as she took one final look, making sure that Blair got the picture and understood that this was not something they could come back from before she finally walked away.

**As I move my feet towards your body**  
><strong>I can hear this beat it fills my head up<strong>  
><strong>And gets louder and louder<strong>  
><strong>It fills my head up and gets louder and louder<strong>

"We both know this won't work" Blair said as she gave her usual preppy smile while Georgina looked at her strangely "There's you and me, making two crazy bitches….problem is, there's only room for one crazy bitch in this town…and you're looking at her" she told her

**Song/Lyrics in this preview was by Florence and the Machines, title was The Drumming Song  
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